Afflictions
by samuisands
Summary: P3P High school Dorm AU. Hamuko Arisato has moved into Iwatodai dorm, and starts getting close to the cold Shinijiro Aragaki. As their relationship blossoms, they help each other face different afflictions, such as fear, and panic. Rated T for swearing.
1. One- Normal

**Afflictions**

P3P AU; The Dark Hour doesn't exist, nor do Personas or shadows. Iwatodai dorm is just a dormitory for students at Gekkokan High.  
For this reason, Aigis, Ken, and Koromaru aren't present. Yet.

Each chapter is based off a status change which can be inflicted in battle in Persona 3. First chapter is normal, introducing the story.

Pairings; ShinjiroxHamuko, hints at AkihikoxMitsuru, more to follow in the future.

* * *

**Chapter One; Normal.**

Looking down at the admission letter, Iwatodai dorm was described as a small building, housing only a few students from Gekkokan high school. However, red eyes looked up at what appeared to be a mansion, beaming in the light of the setting sun behind it. '_Could this really be it?_' Hamuko thought in awe, as she tried to analyse her surroundings. The street sign definitely said Mina Road, and there was a sign by the door which read the name of the dorm, but the confused student still struggled to believe that this was where she was placed. She was due to start at Gekkokan high school next week, having been transferred over from Tokyo, and she was told that this was the only dorm which could accommodate her. She swallowed nervously, walking up to knock on the large, foreboding door.

"You Arisato?" came a gruff voice from behind her, and she jumped and yelped in shock. Spinning around, Hamuko's eyes fell on a tall young man, wearing a long maroon coat, and a black beanie down to his eyes. He must have been a student at the dorm, because he knew her name; they had been warned she was moving in a week ago. She bowed in greeting, hoping to give him a good first impression of her.

"Yes, I'm Hamuko Arisato." She stuttered, realising just how anxious she was about moving in and meeting new people. Luckily, he responded with a smirk and a small chuckle, brushing past her as he went to open the door. It creaked slightly as it slowly swung open.

"Hurry in then." He grumbled, waiting inside and holding the door open for her. She nervously walked in, standing by the front desk as her host closed the door behind them. He spoke up again, leaning against the door with his arms crossed. "Shinjiro Aragaki."

"Huh?" was her confused response. In the indoor light, she examined his features. His dark eyes were almost hidden under his hat, and his dark-silver hair was long, and pushed back. He had warm skin, darker than her own pale skin, and he had wide, but distinct jawline. A scowl appeared across his sharp features.

"I'm Shinjiro Aragaki." He repeated with a sigh, looking out into the empty lounge. "Idiot." She thought he heard him mumble under his breath. Before she could respond, he bought his hands up to his mouth. "Kirijo!" He called, his voice echoing, before looking back at Hamuko. "Kirijo is the student president, and is in charge around here. She'll sort you out." he stated bluntly, his eyes turned away, before walking away toward what seemed to be a dining-kitchen area.

Realising her manners, Hamuko hopped forwards just so her eyes could catch him before he left. "Thank you, Shinjiro-san!" She chimed, smiling. He turned and nodded politely in response, but she could see his lips curl into a smile as he turned back and carried on walking away.

Her eyes lingered on where he stood, her thoughts trailing away from her. '_Shinjiro..._' she though, repeated his name over and over in her head. '_Another student here? He looked too old to be a high school student..._' She shook her head, not believing he was younger than eighteen years old. His face floated into her mind, and she found herself trying to remember the sound of his voice. '_He was very handsome..._' She found herself thinking, smiling slightly.

"Ah, so you're here already." Came a woman's voice, and Hamuko snapped out of her daydream. She looked up to see a red-headed young woman walking towards her. She bowed, and heard the woman chuckle. "Don't be so formal." She urged.

Hamuko stood straight and smiled. "I'm Hamuko Arisato, nice to meet you." She greeted.

"I'm Mitsuru Kirijo, student president." Mitsuru introduced herself, and she gestured for them to go and sit in the lounge. Hamuko nodded, and followed her to the set of armchairs and sofas surrounding a rather large coffee table. A number of magazines and books were piled on the table, ranging from sports magazines to cooking guides. She sat down on the end seat of the sofa, whilst Mitsuru took the armchair next to her. From the corner of her eye, she could see Shinjiro, who was sat on a stool in the dining area. He glanced up and her, then looking back down to read his magazine.

"I understand you'll be starting at Gekkokan High on Monday?" Mitsuru asked, crossing her legs elegantly. Hamuko nodded. "I've been told you've been placed in class 2-F, which is the same class as two students here. You'll meet Iori and Takeba soon." She said.

Hamuko smiled, comforted that she might have friends in her class. "That sounds great." She mused aloud, to the amusement of Mitsuru. She stole a glance at the young man reading the magazine. "May I ask about the others staying here?" She asked, curiously.

"I see you've already met Aragaki. He's an upperclassman, like me and another in the dorm." She started to explain, before sighing. "He appears cold, but understand that he is a good person. It takes a while for him to open up." Her head shook in disappointment. "And there's one other student here our age, Akihiko Sanada, head of the boxing team. Junpei Iori and Yukari Takeba are the two in your form class, and are both easy to get along with. And then there's Fuuka Yamagishi, she is your age too. She's not in your form class, but might share other classes with you. She's friendly, but very shy." She explained, before getting up. "You must be tired, I'll show you your room. All of your possessions arrived yesterday, they should be in your room already." She said, heading towards the stairs. Hamuko jumped up, daring one last glance at the 'cold' upperclassman. He was absorbed in his magazine, and didn't notice the two girls leave.

After climbing up two flights of stairs, they walked down to the end of the hall before stopping at the last door. "This one is yours." Mitsuru unlocked the door, opening it for Hamuko to walk in. It wasn't especially large, but had a comfortable looking single bed against right hand corner. A desk sat in front of the window, which had various shelves sat on it. Shelves lined the wall above her bed, presumably for books, and at the end of the bed sat a rather sizeable closet. Pushing the door open wider, she heard it clang against ceramic, and she turned her head to see she had a sink and mirror against the wall. Walking in, she considered it quite spacious, and was rather impressed.

"This is awesome!" She exclaimed, smiling and turning back to Mitsuru, who was standing in the doorway. The senior smiled to herself, considering how alike the new girl was to the other younger students in the dorm; cheerful and optimistic. She handed over a set of keys, and smiled.

"I'm glad. The silver key is for your room, and the gold one is for the front door. Only lock it if you're the last one out, or if you're going out for the night, and no-one is downstairs. If you lose those keys, see me, I'll sort you out new ones." She said, before looking at the clock on Hamuko's wall. "Right, I'll leave you to unpack. If you come down to the lounge tomorrow morning, I'll introduce you to everyone else." She said, before nodding and taking her leave. Hamuko walked over and closed the door behind her, and sighed.

She looked down at her bags, and started to go through them. She didn't have a lot of stuff, and it didn't take long to put away her clothes. At the bottom of one of her bags sat her two school uniforms. They had been ordered a while before she moved, and she picked them up and started to flatten the creases from them. She opened her closet and pulled out a couple of coat-hangers, and hung them up on the rail, ready to wear.

With her room sorted, and her suitcase and smaller bags empty and sitting at the bottom of her closet, she sat down on her soft bed. Laying back, she smiled slightly. Today didn't go as badly as she expected, she even made friends. She scowled slightly, thinking about Shinjiro. Did she make friends with him? With a sigh, she pushed herself up and went to change into pyjamas, whilst thinking about the senior carefully. He seemed nice enough to her, though a little intimidating at first. Dressed and ready for bed, she lay herself under the unfamiliar duvet, and closed her eyes, thinking of her old dorm, and her potential new friends.

* * *

Hamuko quickly adjusted her hair, peering at herself in her mirror. Despite it being a Friday, she didn't have to go to school yet because she wasn't scheduled to start until Monday, so she didn't wear her uniform. Instead, she wore a simple, fitted orange t-shirt, and basic straight legged jeans. With another nudge of her ponytail, she nodded to herself. Her clock told her it was nearly eight in the morning, so she opened her door and proceeded to walk downstairs, trying to catch everyone before they left. There was lively chatter from the dining area, so she nervously stepped down the staircase, and into the partitioned off section of the ground floor. Instantly, six pairs of eyes fell on her, and a few of the faces grinned.

"Oh man, you're the new student here?" An ecstatic male voice called out, and Hamuko looked at where it came from. A tall, skinny young man was grinning widely, adjusting his flat-peak cap as he wondered over. "You're so cute! My name's Junpei Iori, but you can call me 'Stud'." He fawned over her, only to be hit across the back of the head by one of the girls.

"Hey, can't you greet anyone without hitting on them?" She chided, before smiling apologetically to Hamuko. The girl had shoulder length light brown hair, and wore a pink sweater over her school blouse. "Please ignore him, he's an idiot." She said, laughing a little. Hamuko couldn't help laughing back, nodding. The girl stepped forward, pushing Junpei behind her. "I'm Yukari Takeba, call me Yukari." She introduced, bowing her head slightly.

"I'm Hamuko Arisato." Hamuko replied, smiling and also bowing her head slightly at Yukari. Mitsuru appeared beside her, and waved her hand towards the dining table.

"Please come and sit." She invited her to sit with them, and once they were all sat down together, Hamuko could properly see everyone she would be living with. Two others sat with them, who hadn't introduced themselves yet. A silver-haired young man sat quietly, eating what looked like a rather gruesome high-fibre cereal. He wore a red waistcoat over his school shirt, and had a square white plaster just above his right eye. A dark-green haired girl, who layered a green turtle-neck vest under her uniform, sat next to him eating a much sweeter looking cereal.

"This is Akihiko Sanada." Mitsuru said, nodding at the young man. She had told the new girl about him briefly last night, though describing him as just the head of the school's boxing team didn't quite sum him up as well as Mitsuru wanted. He swallowed his mouthful of food, before clearing his throat and leaning over the table to shake hands with Hamuko. She reached out and shook his hand, feeling his firm grasp. '_Wow, he looks so skinny, but he's quite strong…_' she thought to herself. Akihiko didn't appear to be as big and muscular as she expected, but she supposed that there was more to boxing than pure power.

"Nice to meet you. I'm the second oldest here." He said, smiling before getting back to his cereal. Realising he wasn't the last one to introduce himself, he gave the girl next to him a gentle elbow to shoulder, which made her emit a little squeak. She stood, pushing her chair back a little. Stood up, she was rather short, with a petite build.

"I'm Fuuka Yamagishi, it's very nice to meet you, Arisato-san!" She said quickly, in a high voice. Hamuko was a little taken back at the formality of her words, but smiled at her regardless. She remembered briefly how she was told that Fuuka was quite shy, and her greeting showed it.

"Please call me Hamuko." She chimed, making Fuuka smile back nervously. She then looked around her, searching for the last person in the dorm. Other than the five who she had just spoken to, the ground floor was empty. Her eyes searched out a maroon coat, but found nothing.

"Where's Aragaki-senpai?" the green-haired girl asked, looking at Akihiko. Her observant eyes had caught onto the fact that Hamuko was looking for someone else, and there was only one person missing from the group.

"Probably still in his room." He murmured quietly, before looking up at Hamuko. "Have you met Shinji yet?" He asked, before shovelling another spoon of cereal in his mouth.

Hamuko nodded. "I met Shinjiro-san last night, he let me into the dorm." She explained, glancing towards the stairwell. Was he purposely avoiding her? Akihiko's concerned voice made it sound like he was usually down at this time. She felt saddened, thinking that perhaps they didn't hit it off as well as she had first thought.

"We better head off!" Yukari warned everyone, her eyes on the clock on the wall in the hallway. Akihiko shovelled down the last of his cereal, and Fuuka picked up his bowl for him, carrying both of their bowls to the kitchen sink. He called over a thanks, before grabbing his jacket, and heading for the door. They all filed out, chatting amongst themselves. They left Mitsuru, who watched them leave, and waited until her and Hamuko were alone.

"I'm sorry we have to leave you, but we must get to school." She apologised, looking at her sympathetically. As the student president, she had to set an exceptional example to the student body, and her perfect attendance rating wasn't going to drop any time soon. Hamuko shook her head, understanding.

"That's fine, I have some reading to catch up on before school starts anyways." She said, grateful that Mitsuru was worried about her. The senior looked up at the stairs, before sighing. "Looks like Aragaki isn't going to be down any time soon." She thought aloud, frowning. He had a habit of skipping class, which no amount of nagging would break. "Right, I'll see you later." She said, leaving for school.

Hamuko looked around, the dorm now almost completely empty apart from her and Shinjiro, who was no-where to be seen. "Might as well make use of the lounge…" she thought aloud to herself, hastily popping upstairs to grab some books. She returned down a few minutes later, with three books in her arms, to hear the sound of frying from the kitchen. She wandered into the dining room, to see a rather sleepy looking Shinjiro, dressed in a loose black t-shirt and grey sweat pants, hard at work frying up some breakfast.

Not wanting to alarm him, she coughed before greeting him. "Good morning." She said nervously, walking over to put her books on the coffee table. He turned to look at her, but had to turn his eyes back to the cooking food.

"Morning." He replied gruffly. She sighed, feeling a little hurt. '_Mitsuru-senpai was right…_' she thought, feeling put-off by how cold he was being. Then her mood lifted when he spoke again. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"No, not yet." She replied slowly, watching him sceptically. He nodded, then pulled two plates out from a cupboard. She watched him, leaning on the arm of the sofa, as he carefully plated up his cooking. He bought the two plates and cutlery out to the table, and looked up at her expectantly.

"Here." He invited, pushing one plate to the other side of the table, offering it to her. She smiled, walking over and sitting herself down opposite him. Laid out on her plate was a full fried breakfast, complete with sunny-side up eggs and crispy bacon, and she felt her mouth open in awe.

"T-thanks." She stammered, looking at him as he had started eating his own breakfast. He nodded in acknowledgement, but otherwise sat silently as he ate. She picked up her knife and fork, and started to eat tentatively. Despite being a fried breakfast, it wasn't too oily or greasy, and she found herself absorbed into her food. '_He's a really good cook…_' she thought, a little shocked. She looked up at him, amused at his long, scruffy bed hair, and dark circles under his eyes. He looked handsome even first thing in the morning, untidy and dishevelled. She titled her head slightly, as it if it would give her another perspective of him. He didn't look like the cooking type…

He looked up, catching her eye, and she flushed, delving back into her food. "This is really good." She commented, trying to break the awkward silence. He didn't reply, so she resigned herself to leaving the silence alone. However, after a while of silent eating, it didn't feel so awkward anymore. She found herself sat comfortably, slouching a little in her seat, almost mirroring his relaxed posture. They both finished their meal, and Shinjiro reached out to take her plate. She smiled, letting him carry them over to the sink, and dumping them carefully with the empty breakfast bowls from earlier.

"Thank you…" she said again, bowing to her senior. He looked up, and gave her a small smile. In the kitchen, he poured himself a mug of strong coffee.

"No worries." He replied, before wandering into the lounge, coffee in hand. She followed him, sitting down by her textbooks. Shinjiro looked at them, then looked up at her face with a raised eyebrow. "Studying?" He asked, taking a sip of his hot drink. She nodded, picking up the top book. She heard him chuckle, as she opened it at a bookmarked page.

Happy to not disturb her, Shinjiro sat silently, drinking his coffee and trying to wake himself up. From the coffee table, he picked up his magazine from last night, and opened it where he left off last time. A few minutes passed, the two sat reading contently, before Hamuko's eyes lifted from the page of her book.

The way Shinjiro was holding the magazine made it hard to see the cover, so she tilted her head a little, trying to make out what it said on the front. The shape of a frying pan was slightly distinguishable from the angle she was at. '_A cooking magazine?_' she thought, before smiling. Of course it was. She put her book down, curiosity fuelling her.

"Aren't you going to school today?" She asked, leaning back into the seat. Shinjiro looked up from the recipe he was reading, and shook his head.

"Not today." He said simply, turning the page. "Didn't feel like it."

She raised an eyebrow, pretty sure that that's not how school worked. She sighed, shaking her head. Upperclassmen got so obnoxious sometimes, assuming they can do into school whenever the hell they wanted. She felt slightly irritated at the student sat opposite her, but shook it off.

"What did you have planned for today?" he asked, steering the subject of conversation away from himself.

"Just catching up on my reading…" She replied solemnly, demonstrating how good a student she was. He just chuckled to himself, turning the corner of the page he was on down before putting his magazine back on the table.

"Give me ten minutes, I'll show you around town." He said, standing up and leaving before she had time to think of objecting.

'_Obnoxiously skipping school, and arrogant..._' She thought, sighing as she also stood up and returned to her room to pick up a light jacket. '_Not that you're complaining._' She rebuked herself, scowling slightly. She returned to the lounge, and waited with her jacket over her arm for Shinjiro to return.

A couple of minutes later, his heavy foots sounded against the hard stairs, and she looked up to see him without the heavy coat and beanie she expected him to be wearing again. Instead, he wore a simple black turtle-neck jumper, and dark denim jeans. His hair was some-what tidied, and he too carried a light jacket over his shoulder.

"Ready?" He asked, looking at her expectantly.

"You don't have to do this, you know." She said, tilting her head to the side. Despite feeling a little put-out, she found herself actually a little excited to be going out with her dorm-mate.

"Do you not want to?" He said, looking down at her.

She hesitated, then smiled a little. "No, I would like to…" she murmured in a small, shy voice, feeling a little heat rush to her face.

He smiled, nodding. "Then we shall go." He said, leading her outside. With no-one else left in the dorm, he looked the door behind him. "So, there's the Iwatodai strip mall, that's the closest thing nearby. They have good food places." He said, starting to explain their little town. "And good book shops there too, I think we should go there first." He started to walk away, expecting her to keep up. She hopped after him, and he slowed down his pace when he saw she was struggling to match it.

The walk to the mall was silent. She glanced at him every couple of minutes, unsure if she should say anything. She decided to remain quiet. Walking next to him, she felt tiny. His frame wasn't as large as it appeared last night, when he wore his heavy maroon jacket, but he was still quite heavily built. She really noticed his height, as he towered above her, making her feel much younger than him. '_How is he only a year older than me?_' she cursed, planning to drink more milk in the future. They arrived at the strip-mall after a ten minute walk, and she forgot herself when she saw the book shop.

"Oh look, isn't that so cute!" she exclaimed, breaking into a gallant jog towards the shop named 'Bookworm'. She gazed in the window, her eyes bright with excitement. He watched, amused at her loss of composure, and feeling an odd warmth in his chest. He ignored it, and wandered over to stand beside her.

"Want to go in?" He asked, looking in himself, eyeing an old recipe book in the window. Her eyes light up, and she looked at him with enthusiasm.

"Can we?" She asked eagerly, to which he nodded, opening the door and holding it open for her. A bell chimed as they walked in, and an elderly couple were chatting quietly to themselves at the back of the shop.

"Welcome!" They called over, before going back to their conversation. Shinjiro and Hamuko wandered around the small shop, picking up the odd book and examining it. The walls were covered from floor to ceiling with shelves, each holding rows and stacks of books of many shapes and sizes. Tables in the middle of the room was also piled high with old books, both read and unread.

"Look, they have a whole collection of the classics!" she whispered breathlessly, trying not to ruin the quiet atmosphere of the shop. Shinjiro looked at the ornate set of hardbacks she was stood in front of, smiling at her delight. She sighed when she saw the price stickers on them. "A little more than I can afford right now though…" she murmured to herself, leaving them behind sorrowfully and wandering over to the cheaper paperbacks. Shinjiro squinted at the tiny white stickers, totalling the set to 6000yen. '_Two nights at Chagall Café would cover ten…_' he noted, wondering if he could pick up a few more shifts in the week. Shinjiro smiled to himself, turned back to and leafing through the old house-wives' cooking guide he had in his hands.

After half an hour of browsing, the two walked out of the shop, carrying a small paper bag each. Shinjiro bought the old recipe book he had flicked through, specifically for the desert dishes. Hamuko purchased a rather worn copy of 'Kokoro' by Natsume Sōseki, which was the only book on her literature class' reading list she hadn't already read. Standing outside of the shop, he looked down at her little bag.

"Give that here." He said, reaching out. Before she could respond, he took the bag out of her hand. Carefully folding it, so the book wouldn't get damaged, he placed the bag inside his own. "Makes sense, rather than carrying two." He explained, before looking around them. "Hungry?"

With her, now free, hand, she awkwardly adjusted her hair, before shrugging. "I suppose." She replied, looking around for places to eat. "Is there anywhere good to eat here?" She asked.

Shinjiro chuckled, before heading up the spiral stairs to their right. "This way." He called back, and Hamuko followed.

"Where are we going?" She asked, speeding up her pace to match Shinjiro's. He glanced down at her, before nodding towards a noodle restaurant. She looked up, and her eyes read the sign. "Hagakure?" She asked, before skipping ahead of him. He smiled slightly, watching her slowly become comfortable around him. She stood outside, looking at the various signs. He brushed past her, sliding the door open and holding it open for her to walk in. She sheepishly walked in, feeling a little like a child.

Upon walking in, a strong scent hit her nose. Potent spices floated in the air, and she looked around at the dim room. There was a small television in the corner, which had the volume turned down low. A few customers were sitting around, the small groups taking in hushed voices, adding to the calm atmosphere of the restaurant.

Shinjiro followed her in, and sat down on a stool at the counter. "Two Hagakure bowls." He ordered, as Hamuko sat down. A questioning look spread across her face, as she looked up at him. He smirked. "Some say that Hagakure serves some of the best noodles in Japan. Whilst it sounds like bullshit, their specialty bowls are the finest noodles I've ever tasted at any rate." Hamuko's eyes lit up.

"Sounds good." She said quietly, before going quiet and laying her hands on her lap. They sat quietly, and Hamuko's mind took her back to her old home in Tokyo. An emptiness gripped her chest, and without realising it, she was suddenly choking back tears. '_Homesick?_' She thought, a little shocked. She turned away from Shinjiro, carefully mopping up tears with her fingers.

"We didn't have anywhere like this at ho- in Tokyo…" She stammered, her voice breaking a little at the word 'home'. It wasn't home anymore. She thought she had already settled in, she had met all her dorm-mates, even made a friend, she thought as she sat next to the intimidating older student. She forced herself to smile, only to look up at Shinjiro who had a dismayed expression on his face.

Unsure of how to react to her breakdown, he reached out and patted her head awkwardly. The contact made her chest hurt even more, and she finally let the tears roll down her face. Shinjiro's eyes widened, distraught that he had made it worse. "Shit." He cursed under his breath, too quiet for Hamuko to hear.

"Shinjiro-senpai, I'm scared." She admitted, catching her tears with her long sleeve. Shinjiro rummaged around his coat to get a packet of tissues out of his pocket. He pulled a couple free from the plastic, dropping them on the counter. He reached over, one in hand, and carefully dabbed her eyes, a cool mask falling over his face.

"What is there to be scared of?" He asked softly, patting her red cheeks with the tissue before tucking a clean one in her hand. He took a deep breath, and tried to give her an encouraging smile. "Everyone at the dorm will love you." He tried to comfort her. "Iori is an idiot, but he'll look after you. Takeba is a gossip, but she warms up to everyone her age quite easily." He started to list everyone at the dorm, counting them on his fingers. "Yamagishi is quiet, and a terrible cook." He grimaced. "But she's the kindest soul in our dorm. And Kirijo has taken you under her arm, she'll look after you. Aki… well he's an idiot, but he's thoughtful, and caring… and hell, he's protective as anything…"

She watched him talk, enthralled by his voice and how kindly he was speaking of his friends. Her eyes started to dry, and she wiped the last of the salty tears from her face. He was right, what was she to be scared of? Shinjiro's face then contorted as he scowled to himself. Without warning, he held his hand out to her.

"Give me your phone." He said. Fumbling about in her pockets, she pulled out her pink touch screen phone, complete with a novelty Jack Frost charm. He frowned at the cuteness of it, then started to tap away at the screen. He turned his face away, hiding his eyes in shadow, as he returned the mobile back to her. "If you feel scared again… Hell, if you ever want to talk, phone me, text me, just… let me know." He mumbled quietly.

Hamuko's chest fluttered, and she nodded. "Thank you." She murmured back, checking her phone to see he had entered his number into a new contact, under the simple title 'Shinji'. The corners of her lips curled up into a soft smile, and she looked up at him gratefully. He glanced down, and smirked back, glad she had cheered up.

Two steaming hot bowls were placed before them, and Shinjiro leant forward, breathing in the warm scent of the ramen. "Ah, great." He said, grabbing two sets of chopsticks from the side. He passed one to Hamuko, then turned his attention to his food. Hamuko also turned to focus on her noodles, feeling slightly embarrassed at her breakdown in front of her cool senior.

* * *

The walk back to the dorm was relatively quiet, as they only occasionally chatted about little things such as weather and their dorm-mates. Five minutes away from the dorm, they were in the middle of an animated conversation about Akihiko.

"So you grew up with him?" She asked, her eyes curious. He nodded.

"We were raised at the same orphanage, with his little sister, Miki." He stated calmly, to her shock. She blushed pink, stopping and turning her face towards the floor.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know…" She said, instantly regretting asking. He shrugged, before reaching out to ruffle her hair. She shook her bangs back into place, looking up at him apologetically.

"Don't be, it's fine." He replied, before looking up at the sky. It was still bright out, but everyone would be heading home from school soon. "I never knew my parents, died when I was young." He said bluntly. He looked back at Hamuko, who looked sad.

She understood how he felt. "I feel bad for not remembering much of my parents." She started to talk, unable to stop the words tumbling out of her mouth. "They died in a car crash, I was the only one to survive." She said, sighing. "I wasn't even that young…" Shinjiro stopped walking in shock, not realising how close to home his talk about the orphanage would hit Hamuko.

She looked up, a small but sad smile on her face. "You're lucky you had someone like Akihiko-senpai with you." She said simply, remembering her lonely days at her own orphanage.

"… Yeah."

* * *

"We're home!" Came a call from the front door, Junpei's voice echoing down the hallway. Hamuko looked up from her new book, and smiled in greeting to the returned high-school students. Yukari and Fuuka wandered over, sitting themselves across from their new dorm-mate.

"How was your day?" Yukari asked, smiling pleasantly at Hamuko. She grinned back, lifting up her book to show the girls.

"It was good, Shinjiro-senpai showed me around the Iwatodai strip mall." She said, her small smile turning into a grin. Shinjiro returned to his room after they got in, probably to put his new cooking guide away. He was yet to return.

"Aw man, I was going to do that." Junpei called out from behind her, after hanging up his jacket on the hooks by the door. He came and sat with the trio, slumping down into the armchair that Mitsuru took last night. "Did he treat you to a Hagakure bowl?" He asked sceptically, leaning against the arm of the seat.

Hamuko nodded, which made the girls smile. "Wow, it took weeks for Shinjiro-senpai to even talk to me!" Fuuka exclaimed, slightly puzzled. "And even then it was because I nearly burned the brownies I was making…" She sighed, furrowing her brow. '_So this would be the bad cooking he was telling me about..._' Hamuko thought fondly.

She shook her head. "He was just trying to settle me in, that's all." She explained, going slightly pink at the idea of their outing being anything more than that. Her mind flicked back to the moment he wiped tears off her face, and when he gave her his number, telling her to call or text him whenever she felt scared. She shook the thoughts away, though she could feel her heart beating hard in her chest.

"Well, I call dibs on taking you to Paulownia mall then." Junpei demanded, grinning widely. Hamuko's eyes narrowed at him, unsure if she really wanted to spend much time alone with the pervert. Not noticing Hamuko's expression, he excused himself to get a drink from the upstairs vending machine.

Yukari leant over to Hamuko, once Junpei was out of earshot, having seen her cautious expression. "Don't worry," She whispered. "Fuuka and I will take you down there without him, if you'd like." She said, causing Hamuko to smile gratefully. Though she did like Junpei, she definitely didn't want to give him the wrong idea.

"Thank you." She whispered back gratefully.

They heard the door open and close again, and Hamuko looked over to see Mitsuru and Akihiko walk in, both carrying two large pizza boxes. "Guess who got pizza!" Akihiko called out into the lounge. The girls cheered, and leapt up to follow the two seniors into the dining room. Hamuko hopped up to follow them after Yukari stopped and looked down at her expectantly. A warmth filled her chest, and she finally felt like she had been accepted as one of their friends.

"Right, we've got the usual." Akihiko stated, setting each box down carefully. "Meat feast, Hawaiian, margarita, and BBQ chicken." He explained, mostly towards Hamuko, as he pointed to each box. "Help yourselves. I'll go get Shinji and Junpei." He said, walking up the stairs. Hamuko smiled, noting how he and Shinjiro always referred to the other by their nicknames. '_They're so close…_' She thought, a pang of jealousy running through her. The back of her mind wondered if she was jealous of the two supporting each other whilst they were growing up, which she never had… or whether she was jealous of Akihiko for being so close to the tall, dark-haired young man.

She shook her head, accepting a plate which Mitsuru was offering her. The others had already started taking pieces, and she made sure to grab a slice of the BBQ chicken before the boys came back down. '_Are four pizzas going to be enough?_' She thought uncertainly, counting the seven growing teenagers that would be feasting tonight.

* * *

A flurry of students were rushing through the school gate, marking the end of the school day. Hamuko, Yukari, and Junpei were a part of the bustling crowd, and managed to slip away to the pavement outside the gates before they got swept away. They watched the large mass of hurried students hurrying out, keen to get away from the school.

"How has your first week at school been?" Yukari asked Hamuko, who was adjusting her red bow around her neck. She was getting used to the uniform, though the neck-tie was unfamiliar to her. After pulling the bow tight, and neatening once more, she was content with it.

"It's been good." She said, smiling. She had been introduced to each of her new classes, finding that at least one of her dorm-mates accompanied her. The only two classes she had without Yukari, she shared with both Junpei and Fuuka. The three started to walk towards the monorail station, heading home.

"You're lucky you only have two weeks until we break up for summer." Junpei said sorrowfully, stretching as he broke into a yawn. He looked down at the young girl in both envy and pity. "Why transfer you over so late in anyways? What's the deal with that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hamuko sighed. "My birthday is next week, I'd have been too old to stay at the orphanage." She said quietly.

Yukari and Junpei both went quiet. They had been told of her background, but neither of them felt comfortable talking about it. Junpei finally spoke up. "That's too bad."

Yukari quickly followed. "But it's your birthday next week? Why didn't you say?" She asked, smiling. Hamuko smiled apologetically, explaining how she just didn't think to.

"It's no big deal…" She mumbled.

"No big deal? Dude, you're turning 17 next week, that's a huge deal, right Yuka-tan?" Junpei cried, sighing dramatically and looking at Yukari for support. She nodded. "What are we going to do? What day is it? I wonder if we could get everyone down to the karaoke place." He interrogated, trying to think about making plans.

"It's on Thursday, and really, you don't have to do anything." She squeaked, her eyes wide at Junpei's enthusiasm. Junpei ignored her objection. Throughout all the monorail journey, he sat grilling Hamuko about her birthday, and what she'd like to plan for it, whilst Yukari sat quietly, giving in her own input every now and then. '_What's up with him?_' Hamuko thought, only half listening to Junpei natter on. '_It can't just be a love of parties…_'

One they got off at Iwatodai Station, Junpei looked towards the strip mall. "I have to pick something up." He excused himself, before breaking into a jog. Yukari sighed, shaking her head and dragging Hamuko away.

"I'm sorry about him." She said, flicking her hair back. "He does this to almost everyone, though he's learnt to back off from Shinjiro-senpai." They both chuckled at the thought of Junpei trying to throw a big party for the cold upperclassman. Yukari glanced around them, making sure no-one was in earshot, and she leant closer to Hamuko. "He has had some troubles at home, his alcoholic father never remembers his birthday." She whispered, and Hamuko's eyes widened in understanding. Yukari nodded, then gave her a smile. "If you don't want to do anything, just tell him to cut it out, he'll back off." She said, shrugging.

Hamuko shook her head. "No, it's okay. It'll be nice to celebrate with friends, for a change." She replied, getting rather excited.

* * *

The clock on her wall ticked over to eleven in the evening, and Hamuko, sat reading 'Kokoro' on her bed, heard a slight buzz coming from her desk. Turning the book over to keep her page, she climbed out of bed and wandered over to the origin of the noise. Her phone was lit up, and a notification filled the screen. She reached down for it, and bought it over to her bed with her, reading the notification.

'_11:01pm_

_1 text message from Shinji.'_

She smiled, opening the text.

'_Aki says it's your birthday next week.'_

She grinned. Word does travel fast in the dorm. She sprawled herself across her bed, unsure of how to reply. She typed out a couple of lines, her fingernails occasionally tapping against the glass screen.

'_Yeah, Junpei wanted to plan something._

_It's on Thursday, probably after school. You free?'_

She reread the text twice, checking for spelling errors, before hitting the send button. Her phone beeped at her, letting her know that it had been sent. Hamuko sighed, dropping the phone on her pillow, and picking up her book again. Before she could even finish the page she was on, her phone chimed again. She couldn't stop the smile which crept onto her face, feeling happy at his fast reply.

'_I'm free._

_Want to go somewhere in the evening?'_

She stared at the text, her heart suddenly in her throat. Was he asking her out? She scoffed at herself. '_Obviously not, he's just being a good friend._' She thought, cursing herself for being stupid. She rolled her head back, staring at the ceiling. '_How should I reply?_' She thought nervously, reading the text over again. It was short, with no sign of the cute emotes that Yukari always used in her texts, nor the 'txt tlk' that Junpei always spammed her inbox with. She tapped out a reply, trying to keep it short and simple in return, and checked it before sending.

'_Sounds good.  
Looking forward to it.'_

She gently smiled at the beep from her mobile, and she wandered over to plug it back into the charger on her desk. Just before she walked away, it vibrated against the hard surface, and she quickly flicked open Shinjiro's reply.

'_Same.'_

Her heart skipped, and she smiled, locking her phone. Deciding to call it a night, she placed her bookmark at the page she finished on, and turned off her nightlight. Tucking herself into bed, she wondered what Shinjiro was doing, and what he had planned for her birthday.

* * *

"I'm beat!" Junpei exclaimed, stretching as he yawned. The group walked back towards the dorm, tired but in high spirits. They had all changed out of their uniforms after returning from school, and were all dressed up for the karaoke party. The weather was getting warmer and more humid as summer approached, which gave the four girls good reason to wear dresses. Yukari sported a pink strapless dress, with a short white cardigan. Fuuka wore a deep green maxi dress, and Mitsuru sported a black blouse and skirt combo. The birthday girl herself was in an orange knee-length sun-dress, with a small 'Birthday Girl' pin Junpei bought her attached to the strap. The boys had decided that jeans and shirts was good enough for the occasion, and Hamuko couldn't help but redden at the sight of Shinjiro in a plain black button-up shirt.

There was small chatter in the group, as Mitsuru and Yukari walked discussing summer clothes awkwardly. Mitsuru, unusually, was asking the younger girl for her advice for building her summer closet. Being from a wealthy family, she had always had her closet picked out for her by the family stylist, but she decided she'd like to branch out by herself, and turned to her fashion conscious junior for advice. Akihiko was in an animated conversation with Fuuka and Junpei, discussing their karaoke skills from earlier. Hamuko was grinning from ear to ear, carrying an armful of gift bags full of various presents from her friends. She walked alongside Shinjiro, and both were silent, soaking in the high spirits in the atmosphere. Mitsuru then walked ahead of them, and unlocked the door to let them all in.

"That was great, Hamuko!" Yukari cheered, before heading towards the stairs. "But I'm exhausted. I'll see you tomorrow. Happy birthday again!" She called, walking up to her room.

"That's a good idea, I have some work I need to do tonight." Fuuka sighed, smiling at the birthday girl before leaving. Hamuko watched them leave, as Akihiko, Junpei, and Mitsuru went to sit in the lounge. Shinjiro was stood by the door, his eye on Hamuko.

"I'm just going to dump this in my room." She said to the senior, shuffling slightly to juggle the bags between her arms. He sighed, walking forward and taking some of the bags from her.

"I'll help." He said, receiving a grateful smile in return. They walked to Hamuko's room silently, and she shifted her load onto her left arm, as she pulled her key from her small shoulder bag. Swinging the door open, she wandered in and placed the gifts carefully on her desk, before reaching out to the ones Shinjiro was holding. She turned to see him stood outside her room, his eyes averted.

She looked around her room, wondering what was putting him off. Was it too bright? She'd had time to personalise her room since she moved in, which meant that it was full of warm colours, walls covered in bright posters, and small figures sat around on the various surfaces around her room. Deciding it probably wasn't that, she checked her floors for stray underwear or personal items. Finding none, she gave up, and put it down to the brightness again. She walked over, taking the bags from him and putting them with the others.

"Shall we go?" She asked, walking out and locking her door behind her. He nodded, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets.

"I need to pick something up from my room first." He said, and she nodded. When they reached his room, he really opened the door and picked something up from just inside. Hamuko managed a small peek inside, to be slightly amused at what she saw. His room was spotless and simple in furnishing. He swiftly shut and locked the door, draping a jacket over his arm, and holding a large bag slightly behind him. Curiously, she tried to tilt her head so she could peek at what was inside, but he shifted it again, smirking. "Later." He said, before guiding them away.

"Where are we going?" She asked, waving a goodbye to the others at the dorm before leaving with Shinjiro. They walked down the road, and he didn't reply. Taking an unfamiliar turn, she looked up to see a large red archway, leading to a shrine.

"Naganaki shrine. Have you been here before?" He said, strolling inside. She shook her head, and wandered in after him. Her eyes adsorbed the sight of the shrine, the dim light reflecting everything to give it a cool, relaxing appearance. A pathway lead to the offerings boxes and other religious stands, whilst to their left was a small playground. A row of benches sat just behind it, and Shinjiro head towards the closest one.

"I suppose I still don't know much about this town." She said, shrugging, and following Shinjiro to the bench. They both sat down, and leant back. She sighed loudly. "Today was fun." She said, trying to strike up a conversation with the silent Shinjiro. He didn't say anything, but instead reached out and placed the heavy bag gently onto her lap. She looked up at him, and saw an unfamiliar glint in his eyes which made her chest pang.

"Open it."

She looked down at the clumsily taped up gift bag, and smiled at his handiwork. She glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow. He scowled. Her hands struggled with the tape, before the bag gaped open. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes shone as she looked down at his gift.

"Happy birthday."

The set of twelve hardcover books sat at the bottom of the bag. The gilt embossed titles on the spines shone up at her, and she tried voice her amazement and gratitude, which only came out as a jumbled stammer. A grin flashed across Shinjiro's face, as he watched her delight. He turned his head down, a feint pink dusting over his face.

"Do you like them?" He asked quietly, waiting for her to form a reply.

"Like them? I love them, thank you so much, and oh god I can't believe you remembered!" Words gushed from her, the widest smile spread across her face. She carefully placed the books down beside her, before suddenly enveloping Shinjiro in a warm hug.

"Uh… idiot, what, um..." He stuttered, the dusted pink darkening into a deep red. His thin shirt was little barrier between her bare arms and his body, and he swore he could almost feel how soft her skin was. He sat tensely, until she released him. She flushed red too, looking down at her hands on her lap. "M-moron." He stuttered, trying to recover from the embrace. A moment of silence passed. Steadied, Shinjiro chuckled, and reached out to ruffle her hair. "I'm glad." He said simply, relieving the situation from its awkwardness, before resting his hands behind his head and looking up at the dark sky.

She smiled softly, leaning up to look too. "Thank you." She whispered quietly. He glanced at her, then smiled.

"It's nice here." He said softly. "I used to come up here a lot, when everyone else was sleeping. It's relaxing. It feels great to get away from it all."

Hamuko nodded, understanding. "I had somewhere I used to go…" She started to open up, and Shinjiro turned to face her. Her heart skipped, as she realised that she had his complete attention, his eyes curious, and caring. "At the orphanage. There was a small shrine right at the end of the garden, no-one ever went there because it meant climbing through overgrown weeds and thorns to get there." She smiled, lifting her arms up to the moonlight to show him small, thin scars on her forearms. They were barely visible, and Shinjiro hadn't noticed them until she pointed them out. "Sometimes it would hurt, but it was worth it." She dropped her arm back down, and covered the tiny lines self-consciously with her hand.

She laughed brightly, trying to change the topic of conversation. Shinjiro's gaze shifted as he turned away, thinking deeply. Hamuko was a fascinating young girl, always so bright and cheerful. A weird tugging sensation pulled within his chest, and it didn't take his mind long to realise it was affection. He smiled wryly.

"Summer vacation soon." He said, trying to distract himself by striking up another conversation. Hamuko's expression shifted from nervous to excited, and her eyes shone brightly. "We should come down here more often." He suggested subtly. "It's nice to come down when it's warmer, and lighter." He said, noticing how the air had started to get chilly. He looked down at Hamuko to see she was shivering slightly, but the young girl seemed not to notice. He sighed, smiling slightly as he picked up his jacket from beside him and draped it carefully over Hamuko's shoulders.

She looked up, eyes wide, and then registered how the wind had picked up since they left. '_Why didn't I bring a jacket?_' She thought to herself, grateful for Shinjiro's thoughtfulness. She reached back and tugged it a little, pulling it around herself properly and holding it closed across her chest. It swamped her, and it carried his scent, so for brief second she felt like he had his arms around her. She closed her eyes, savouring the moment.

Looking down at the small girl with his large jacket around her, Shinjiro had no regret for putting it on her. Her hands looked tiny, grasping at the collar to hold it closed under her chin, and she looked the picture of innocence with it wrapped around her. '_Like she's wearing a boyfriend's old shirt._' His mind whispered to him. He instantly snapped out of his fantasy, shaking the thought from his head. '_I'm not going to get mixed up in that kind of shit._' He reminded himself.

"Damn, it's late. We should head back." Shinjiro cursed, causing Hamuko to jump slightly. They stood, both trying to shake their thoughts away. Hamuko lifted up the heavy bag, one hand holding the jacket around her, and the other clutching at the handles of the gift bag. He reached out to take it from her, but she held it back.

"I can carry it." She said stubbornly, before playfully sticking her tongue out at him. She was determined not to let him carry anything for her anymore. She marched away comically, trying to show she could look after herself. He raised an eyebrow, then smirked, but said nothing. They walked back to the dorm together, in a content silence.

* * *

Hamuko sat on her bed, trying to twirl her mobile between her fingers. It dropped onto the bed-sheet, and she sighed hopelessly. Scooping it up with her thin fingers, she opened the new message window, and started to type out a text, the third draft in the past ten minutes. She read it out to herself, before drooping her head and deleting it. With a groan, she collapsed into her pillow. "Why can't I think of what to say?" She grumbled to herself, clutching her phone in her hand.

She bolted upright, and leant against the wall, pulling up the new message box again. She typed rapidly, her eyes filled with focus.

'_Thank you for today. It was fun.'_

Her eyes scrunched up as she read it through again. "Simple is good." She said to herself, hitting the send button. She gave a small cry, dropping it against her bed and falling back onto her pillow, filling with regret.

She wallowed in shame for a few minutes, before her phone chimed, and she shot out a hand to grab at it. With it pulled up to her face, she read the notification on the screen.

'_11:26pm_

_1 text message from Shinji.'_

She swallowed nervously, tensing her hands to stop them from shaking, before opening it.

'_It was. Happy birthday.'_

Her body felt lifted with relief, and she let out the deep breath she was holding. With a smile, she locked her mobile, and placed it on her bedside table. Reaching out, she flicked off her light. "Happy birthday." She whispered to herself, pulling her duvet up under her chin, and drifting into a heavy sleep.

Shinjiro, also lying in bed, held his phone in front of him, only dropping it onto the rug on his floor when he was certain he wasn't getting a text back. He sprawled himself out on his small bed, looking up to the ceiling. A part of his mind tried to question why he was so anxious about getting a text, but he ignored it. His eyes drifted closed, and he lay there remembering the moment her eyes lit up from seeing his gift. Along with his pleasure in seeing her happy, the memory was also tinged with longing. In his half-conscious state, he had one thought. '_I want to see her smile like that again._'

* * *

**Authors notes;** Thank you for reading! I realise it's long, I'm happy to receive any feedback you have!

Now the status changes begin.

Next chapter; Fear.


	2. Two- Fear

Afflictions

* * *

**Chapter two; Fear**.

The last bell of the semester echoed down the corridors, and within minutes the trio from class 2-F were out of the front doors of the school, laughing and celebrating. The tall young man in the blue baseball cap jumped and skipped down to the front gates, punching the air and whooping. The two girls followed at their own pace, in an animated chat about their classmates and the events of the day. The blistering sun scorched down on them, but their carefree mood couldn't be affected by it in the slightest, because until September, they were free from school. Hamuko made a mental note to stop by the pharmacy for sunscreen before she got back to the dorm. So many of the people in the dorm had light, sensitive skin, she thought it would be a good idea to make sure they had some.

"Oh man, this summer is going to be great!" Junpei exclaimed, grinning widely. Yukari was smiling brightly too, until she noticed that someone had suddenly gone quiet. Hamuko seemed to be distracted from their excitement, her eyes scanning over the crowds of people in front of the school.

Yukari smiled, knowing what her friend was looking for. "You know..." She started, laying a hand on Hamuko's shoulder, and smiling as she jumped. "The higher years got out after lunch, he's already gone." Hamuko smiled, trying to hide her disappointment.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She feigned innocence, trying to work out if Yukari really did knew who she was looking for. '_Ah well, I'll see him later...'_ she thought, the image of Shinjiro's smile floating into her mind. She coughed, shaking the picture away, and turning her attention back to her friends.

"Let's celebrate at Wild Duck Burger!" She exclaimed, changing the topic of conversation, and receiving an enthusiastic response. They wandered away from the school, chatting about their summer plans all the way to the restaurant.

* * *

Bottle of sunscreen bumping against her leg in a plastic carrier bag, Hamuko gently hummed to herself as she started getting close to the dorm. With a small smile on her face, she walked into the dorm, to hear the sound of chatting voices in the lounge. Curious, she wandered over, to be greeted by all of her dorm mates, already changed out of their uniforms. The only spare seat for her was next to Shinjiro, and he shuffled up to give her space. She sat down silently, dumping her bags by her feet and giving him a small nod of thanks. Her face flushed when he smirked, nodding back to her.

"What's going on?" she asked, quietening everyone down as their attention turned to her. It was Mitsuru who answered.

"Ah, you're here. Now we're all present, I have an announcement to make." She started, causing almost everyone to learn forward in anticipation. "The Kirijo group have just opened a pool resort, and father has asked me if we'll test the waters, if you will." She explained, with a small smile. She looked around, as everyone lit up with surprise.

"Yeah, man! A pool party vacation, I'm totally in!" Junpei butted in, grinning widely. Though the others stayed silent, they smiled as they looked on at Junpei's excitement. "Hey, is it far?"

"Not that far, actually." Mitsuru answered, pausing to think. "Actually, it would only take us three-quarters of an hour to get there on our bikes. That would probably be the easiest route down there." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Hamuko's face shifted in alarm. She hadn't not gotten a licence, and was one of the two people in the dorm without a bike. She glanced at Fuuka, the only other student without a form of bike, who looked unexpectedly calm. "Bike?!" She asked, her voice high with apprehension.

"Oh yeah, you've not even got a moped yet, huh?" Akihiko sighed, leaning back in his seat. He placed his hand over his eyes, thinking carefully. "We'll have to get down there another way then."

"I'll take her." Came a voice from beside her, and she turned to see Shinjiro leaning forwards, his face a cool calm mask. "She can sit on the back of my bike." He elaborated, turning to face Hamuko, his eyes locking on hers. "If you're okay with that."

"That's fine." She squeaked, turning her face downward as she could feel heat rising to her cheeks. Shinjiro's huge motorcycle was almost always parked around the side of the dorm, round with Mitsuru's own motorcycle, and it seemed quite formidable. However, the idea of riding it with Shinjiro gave her an odd thrill.

"Shinji..." Came an apprehensive reply from Akihiko. She looked up to see the two men's eyes locked in heavy stares. The lighter haired of the two looked more cautious, whereas the other appeared slightly irritated. "You're pretty reckless on that thing, I don't want-"

"I think, for the sake of everyone being able to travel easier, I can handle having a passenger." Shinjiro snapped, interrupting Akihiko mid-sentence. Everyone sat silently, shocked from the outburst from the usually silent senior. Shinjiro then lowered his voice so only Hamuko and Akihiko could hear, tilting his head down to cast his eyes in shadow. "And I think, for the sake of Hamuko, I can handle driving carefully for a weekend."

Hamuko felt her chest flutter in hearing his words. For a second, it felt like he really cared for her. She pushed her thoughts aside, trying not to delude herself into believing that he actually liked her. '_He's just a friend..._' She reminded herself, scolding herself.

"What about Fuuka?" Yukari asked, looking at the green-haired young girl beside her, and bringing the conversation away from the conflicting men. "Fuuka doesn't have a moped either."

"That's fine, Yukari, I'm leaving tomorrow to stay with my parents over the summer." Fuuka replied quietly, smiling at her friends. "They said they'd like to spend more time with me." She said, beaming slightly. Hamuko smiled back at her, knowing how her relationship with her parents had been rocky recently. She was glad that her friend has started to rebuild her bonds with her family.

"Aw really?" Yukari exclaimed, shocked and a little upset. "Why didn't you say?"

Fuuka coughed nervously, before giving her friend a small smile. "I was going to." She excused, rubbing the back of her head. She then stood. "I should excuse myself, I need to pack." She said, before bowing to the group and walking up to her room.

"Ahem." Mitsuru cleared her throat, and everyone looked back to her, remembering what they were discussing. "Now that travel has been arranged, we have to discuss rooms. Of course, as it is still under construction, only three rooms are available to us at the moment. That means that we will have to share."

Everyone nodded, as she looked around at everyone, having already thought about room placements earlier. "Iori, I'm placing you with Akihiko." She started, putting the two boys together.

"Alright, but you don't snore, do ya?" Junpei grinned, looking to Akihiko, who scoffed.

"I snore? Of course not. You better just sleep, and not sit talking all night." He said solemnly, shaking his head. He could already imagine the hours of sleep he'll lose from Junpei nattering late into the night.

"Don't worry buddy, I won't keep ya up." Junpei replied, smirking. "Gotta be up early, ladies in swimsuits awaits us in the morning!"

"Takeba," Mitsuru interrupted again, raising her voice to silent the pervert. "You can share with me." She finished, receiving a grateful smile from the brown-haired girl.

"Thank god, I don't have to share with Junpei." Yukari muttered, glancing at him.

"Wait, why say that?" He pouted, sounding offended.

"That does leave a problem, however." The red head looked at Hamuko and Shinjiro, sat next to each other. "With only one room left, I'm afraid you two will have to share." She waited, trying to gauge their reactions. She considered Shinjiro the most mature of the boys, and Hamuko got along with him better than anyone else, so Mitsuru hoped there wouldn't be too much friction between them.

Shinjiro coughed, clearing his throat before replying. "I'm fine with it if she is..." He quietly grumbled, not letting anyone know he was secretly slightly pleased.

"Hey Senpai, you're so lucky! Sharing a room with a girl, at a pool resort!" Junpei groaned, slightly teasingly. "You're gonna get so much swimwear action!"

"Shut up, idiot." Shinjiro growled, feeling his cheeks go slightly pink. He looked down at his feet, waiting for Hamuko to reply. He felt the young girl beside him tense slightly, and worried that it might make her feel uncomfortable.

Fortunately, she relaxed herself swiftly, before smiling up at him. "At least I don't have to worry about you talking all night, unlike Junpei." She joked, teasing Akihiko, who sighed. Shinjiro flooded with ease, content that she was comfortable with him.

"Hey! Come on, I said I wouldn't do that already!"

"It's settled then. Pack tomorrow, we leave Monday morning. I'll go tell father." Mitsuru concluded, smiling as she stood. She paused before leaving, looking back at them. "I'm looking forward to it, thank you all to agreeing to it." She said, smiling appreciatively. Hamuko noticed that she wasn't really looking at the group, but at Akihiko. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the silver-haired teen give a genuine smile and a little nod back. Mitsuru flushed slightly, and swiftly turned away and left in the direction of the stairs.

Everyone relaxed, settling back into their seats. Hamuko sighed, crossing her legs, and knocking over the bottle of sunscreen, still sitting in its bag. Remembering she bought it, she reached down and pulled it from the plastic, which still tried to cling onto the bottle. She placed it on the table. "Seeing as it's a pool resort, it's a good thing I bought this." She said.

"Oh yeah, because you pretty ladies will be baring a lot of skin!" Junpei chimed. Yukari reached over and slapped his arm, pouting.

"Can't you say anything without being perverted?" She chided sharply. They carried on bickering between themselves, no longer holding the interest of the others.

"I gotta go and start planning a training regime..." Akihiko pondered, excusing himself before heading upstairs himself. Hamuko watched as he walked with a certain determination to his step, and she had a slight notion that he might stop off at Mitsuru's room before reaching his own. She shook her head, smiling slightly. '_Those two are too cute._'

Her attention turned to the silent senior beside her, who had been sitting quietly. She observed his face, as he seemed to be dwelling on his own thoughts quite deeply. Wearing a loose-fitting green t-shirt and jeans, and forgoing his usual black beanie for the summer, she couldn't help but get lost herself, her eyes tracing the line of his jaw, then down his neck and across his wide shoulders...

At that moment, his dark eyes caught hers, and she jumped, flushing red and turning her face away. After an awkward silence, she looked back at him, to find he had turned his eyes back to his fidgeting hands. "Thank you..." She mumbled quietly, trying to make sure only Shinjiro could hear her. His lips curled into a small smile, and he turned to look at her again.

"No problem. I mean, it'd be easier than trying to get a train..." He thought a little. "And I wouldn't want you to be left behind, because of the blindness of those two." He said, referring to Akihiko and Mitsuru.

"Blindness?" She questioned, a little confused.

"Okay, maybe not blindness." He corrected, thinking a little more. "Kirijo tries to make sure everyone is involved and happy..." He paused a little, watching her expression. "But she seems to forget about others if it doesn't involve Aki." He finished, scowling. Hamuko nodded, understanding what he was trying to say.

After a pause, dwelling on what he had said, and contemplating his next words, he carried on. "And Aki has always been particularly focused. Even after so long, he still has a habit of only seeing one thing, and almost ignoring everything else."

Hamuko remembered how the two had always been together their whole lives, since the orphanage. "I see..." She said quietly, looking at him with more understanding. "Those two do seem quite close..." She observed, letting him know what she had been thinking recently. He nodded in reply, then chuckled, making Hamuko's heart skip.

"Though, they're not quite blind yet. Maybe just short-sighted." He concluded, leaning back into the sofa. Hamuko's eyes widened when she realised how close they had been sitting, whilst they were talking, and too leant back.

"Morons." Shinjiro muttered under his breath, still thinking about their conversation. Hamuko looked back at the sofa opposite them, to see Junpei and Yukari had left. She looked around, trying to see if they were still about. "It's almost midnight." Shinjiro's voice caught her off-guard, and she looked back at him. He was looking at his watch, trying to work out how long they had been arranging the holiday for. "They went up earlier, when we were talking." He clarified, looking back at her. "Or gossiping." he corrected, smirking again before getting up.

Hamuko stood too, picking up the sunscreen bottle. "We should probably get to sleep soon too." She said. Shinjiro nodded, turning away.

"Keep that bottle with you. Make sure you pack it, otherwise we'll forget it." He suggested, before going to leave. Just before he did, she felt herself blurt out something she had been thinking for a while.

"Shinjiro-senpai, why did you offer to let me ride with you? Why are you coming?" The words came tumbling out, and she couldn't stop there. The tall student usually stayed inside all day, avoiding sports or going out. "I mean, a pool party vacation doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd be into."

He stopped, not turning around. "Do you not want me to come?" He asked simply, and slightly harshly. Did he sound hurt? Hamuko couldn't tell, his voice didn't convey emotion very strongly.

"I do want you to come... it just seems... out of character." She answered, hoping he didn't get the wrong idea.

She heard him chuckle, and watched his large frame shake from it. "I know." was his simple reply, before walking upstairs and to his room, leaving her standing in the hallway. Closing the door behind him, he wandered over to his bed and sat down onto it. Putting his head in his hands, he sighed. "I know." He repeated, before leaning and toppling over onto his pillow, lying on top of his thin summer duvet. '_You want to go though._' was all he could think, before tiredness overtook him, and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"I knew I should have picked a different swim suit." Yukari's voice echoed around the changing room, and she stepped out of her cubicle wearing a baby pink bikini with a blue trim. Hamuko, having already changed into a rose pink bikini with a ruffled top and over-skirted bottoms, looked up to see her friend adjusting her straps.

"You look great!" She exclaimed, grinning. She looked over to the cubicle Mitsuru went in. "You ready yet, Mitsuru-senpai?" She called over, tying her auburn hair into two long plaits. She handed Yukari a handful of hair bands, for her to also tie her hair up with.

"I'll be one minute." Mitsuru called back.

"It's been a while since I went swimming like this, I hope I haven't forgotten how to swim." Yukari pondered, tying her hair into a single ponytail at the back of her head. "Senpai, would you like me to tie your hair up into a bun for you?"

The door gently swung open, and the red-head walked out in a snow white halter-neck style bikini, with a large red hibiscus flower pinned to one of the straps. "That would be great, thanks Takeba." He replied, walking over to join the other girls by the large wall mirror.

"Wow." Yukari gaped, staring at Mitsuru. "You look fantastic!" Her voice was laced with jealousy, pouting slightly as she walked around to stand behind the senior, and started to tie her hair up high on her head. "Where did you get that bikini set? I couldn't find anything like that in Paulownia Mall!"

"It was sent to me from our family's stylist." She replied, remaining still, so Yukari could tie her hair up without any problems. Yukari sighed, jealous of the red-head.

Hamuko watched as Yukari wound Mitsuru's long red hair into a neat, round bun on top of her head, and handed her an extra hair band to secure it with. "Shall we go?" She suggested, heading towards the door once the girls where finished with their hair. The other two nodded, following her. She pushed the door open, and her eyesight was flooded by bright sunlight.

Once her eyes adjusted, Hamuko's jaw dropped. The changing room acted as a transition to the pool, so it was the first time they had set eyes on the sparkling blue waters, and beautiful surroundings of the pool. A voice from her left seemed to read her mind, as a loud exclamation come from the direction of the boys changing room.

"Holy wow! Ah jeez this is amazing!" Junpei whooped, seemingly not noticing the girls in their bikinis just yet. Following behind him were the two other boys. Hamuko's eyes shot to Shinjiro, who stood tall in his knee length black trunks, with his long hair tied back into a loose ponytail. Hamuko's heart skipped a little, noting how having his hair tied back made him look strangely adorable. She also noted to never tell him she thought that, and was drawn from her thoughts when Junpei finally realised the girls had finished changing too. "Woah, hello girls!"

Attention was drawn to them, and Hamuko momentarily felt a little self-conscious. Did she pick a bad swim-suit? She adjusted the over skirt to her bottoms, going a little pink. Yukari glared at Junpei, who had also gone a little pink from all the bare skin that was showing. Hamuko noticed that Akihiko similarly sported a light blush, but his eyes weren't on either of the brown-haired girls. Hamuko smirked a little.

"What do you think of the pool?" Mitsuru asked professionally, stepping forward as she was unfazed by the male gazes. Like a puppy unsure of where its attention should be, Junpei struggled to tear his eyes away from the girls. When he did, he grinned again, and whooped loudly.

"Fantastic! Last one in is a loser!" He shouted, breaking into a sprint for the deep end of the pool. Yukari scowled, but also joined him in running towards the pool. Chuckling, Akihiko and Mitsuru started to wander over, and Hamuko looked back at Shinjiro. He had averted his eyes from the girls, and had them set rather keenly on the water. Hamuko started to wander over too, but towards the shallower end, and sat on the edge as she watched everyone else enter the water.

"Banzai!" Bellowed Junpei, as he leapt into the air and curled into a ball, hitting the water with a huge splash which caused it to splatter over the sides of the pool, and resurfacing after a couple of seconds. He ruffled his short hair, and whooped more as he floated in the deep water. "Hurry up, the water is great!" He called over. Yukari, feeling more conservative, slowed once she reached the edge, and decided to climb slowly down the step ladder. She then gently swam over to Junpei, unable to keep a smile off her face.

"Stupei, you've gotten water everywhere!" She glowered, playfully splashing him with the cool water.

"Don't worry about that, I've been told that drains have been strategically placed around the pool area. Please, enjoy yourselves." Mitsuru called over, as she was carefully slipping into the pool. Once she was in, she turned to watch Akihiko, in his streamlined navy trunks, skilfully dive in. They all laughed as he reappeared above the water, his short hair plastered to his head.

Lost in their laughs, Hamuko didn't realise that someone had sat next to her, and gave a little jump when she turned to see Shinjiro beside her. His eyes were still on the water, but they were relaxed. He turned his head to look up at her and gave her a little smile. "Not going in?" He asked simply.

Hamuko hesitated. It wasn't that she wasn't planning on going in, she had given it some thought, but she didn't want to tell anyone... She went slightly red, paddling her feet a little in the cool water. She leant her head back, looking up at the clear sky. "Yeah, I will..." She said, purposefully not looking at Shinjiro, fearing that if she looked at him, her eyes would give her away. He didn't need to see her eyes to know, and his eyes widened in realisation. He too leant his head back a little, to look up at the sky as well.

After a moment of silence, he asked her the question she was dreading, which made her stomach drop. "You can't swim, can you?"

She sat silently, not wanting to answer. Would he laugh at her? Thinking about it, she decided she trusted him enough not to. "... I-I can't…" was her stuttered answer. Her face reddened even more, having admitted she couldn't do something as simple as swim. She was never taught, she never really needed to. The large body of water which lay before her was rather ominous, and she felt a shiver creep up her spine when she thought about how deep the floor of the pool looked from where she was sitting. She sighed, looking at him, expecting him to look appalled, or amused. Instead, his face was composed, and didn't hint at being even a little shocked.

"That's understandable." He said simply, before slipping into the water. The pool was separated into three different levels of deepness. The middle section, where they were sat, and where Shinji had just entered, had water coming up just past his chest. She watched in awe at him calmly moving through the water, the water rippling around his body. He waded through the water, to stand in front of her, and he held his hands out. Hamuko's heart skipped. "Come, I'll teach you."

"Are you sure? I'm really slow at learning things, you can go and have fun with the others," Hamuko started to ramble, the hair on the back of her neck raising, and her body tensing. His eyes were still, unwavering, and he raised an eyebrow. He read all the signs.

"Just get in, idiot." He said, gently grabbing her hands. He helped ease her gradually into the water, and she let out a little yelp once her feet struggled to reach the bottom of the pool. In a blind panic, she desperately kicked her feet, trying to keep her face above water. A slight panic ran through Shinjiro, but it eased once Hamuko seemed to have a little control over the situation, bouncing urgently on her tiptoes. He still saw fear in her eyes, so he took a cautious stop closer to her, holding his arms out. In once swift motion, he scooped her up in his arms, lifting her up and carefully carrying her over to the shallower end of the pool. She looked up at him, her heart jumping erratically as she could feel the warm skin of his chest against her side, and his strong arms held around her. She could have sworn she could hear his heart beating, and fast.

He warily put her down, the water now no longer too deep for her to stand in. Making sure her footing was steady, he took a step back and gave her a minute to get accustomed to being in the water. With it coming to just above Hamuko's chest, he chuckled as he felt it splash up just past his ribs. She looked up at him, her cheeks pink, but her face calmer. "Now what, senpai?" She stammered, looking down into the clear water. She then managed a small, but shaky, smirk, looking back up at him. "Or should I say sensei?" She joked. He grimaced.

"Just Shinji will do." He stated. Hamuko felt a warmth in her chest, pushing away the anxiety. '_That's what Akihiko-senpai calls him..._' She thought, feeling oddly, but pleasantly, intimate. Shinjiro looked about, then back to her. "We're going to start by getting you used to being under the water." He said calmly, before ducking himself under. Her eyes flew open, watching him tensely. He came back up after a couple of seconds, to demonstrate what he wanted her to do. Then he saw alarm spread onto her face, and had to quickly think of how to comfort her. "Think of it as rinsing your hair in the bath." He suggested. He then reached his hand out. "Hold on, if you want."

She reached out slowly, then grasped his large hand. She gave him a small smile, before taking a deep breath. Slowly, with the water rising up her inch by inch, she submerged herself under the water. She instantly felt almost weightless, and her plaits flowed around her shoulders. Shinjiro's steady eyes watched cautiously through the water at her, ready to pull her out if anything went wrong.

With the top of her head finally feeling the coolness rush over it, her instincts kicked in. Terror ran through her, and she impulsively opened her mouth to take a shuddery breath. Instantly it was flooded, the taste of chlorine rushing through her mouth, and up her nose. She freaked, starting to kick her legs to push herself back up to the surface, but she couldn't get any grip against the floor.

She felt the water pulse around her, as strong arms reached in and wrapped around her shoulders. A tug pulled her head above water, and she gasped as she flipped her plaits back, how heavy with water. Trying to shift the water which she felt she breathed in, she coughed and spluttered, her throat and nose stinging from the chlorine. Shivering and shaking, she didn't resist Shinjiro's hands strategically shifting her legs and body, to steady her. Blinking away tears, she looked up at her teacher. His expression was apologetic, masking his anguish.

Once she was safe, he covered his eyes with his hand "Shit." He swore, pushing his hair from his face. His eyes cautiously watched her as she coughed and spluttered the last of the sensation from her throat and sinuses. "Let's take a break." He said grimly, going to turn away. However, a small, wet hand reached out and caught his forearm, and he turned around in astonishment. Hamuko's red eyes, both from her natural eye colour and from the stinging chlorine and fading tears, looked up at him.

"I want to try again." She spluttered, and he realised he didn't see fear in her eyes anymore. It was replaced with determination. He stepped back in front of her, and reached out to hold her wrists.

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking down at her seriously. She nodded firmly, though Shinjiro could see her muscles tensing. He sighed slowly. "Right, I'll come down with you then." He said, steading his feet. Looking at her, he breathed in deeply, before starting to lower himself into the water. Though every nerve in her body was telling her to stop, Hamuko took a deep breath and followed him. The water inched up her body again, but she just observed it carefully. She paced her movement carefully, trying to grasp complete control over the situation.

With one last drop, she found herself completely submerged. Her body was tense, but she leant a leg forward, and knelt on the pool floor. Shinjiro's grasp on her wrists kept her steady, and her skin where he touched her to sweep her out of the water tingled slightly when she remembered her rescue. With him with her, she felt safer, and then more confident. After a few seconds, she felt a little tug at her wrists, and she took it as a sign to rise. She pushed herself up, and emerged with a gasp, and another hair flick.

"That was great." He praised, reaching out to ruffle her drenched hair. She chuckled, shaking her head. "Now try for a little longer, and without me?" He suggested, to which Hamuko nodded nervously. She still reached out to hold his hand, and he closed his fingers around her little palm. He gave her a comforting little squeeze, and she smiled.

She closed her eyes, taking another deep breath, and dived under again. She felt less nervous, and after a second of being under, she cautiously opened her eyes. Still clutching his hand, she could see Shinjiro's legs and up to his waist, and was comforted by the way he stood, prepared to help her if anything went wrong again. She smiled, looking down at the tiled floor, before pushing herself back up. She was welcomed to the surface with a grin from Shinjiro, and she grinned back.

"Well done for opening your eyes." He said, before letting go of her hand and taking a step back. "Do you think you can do it without me holding your hand now?" He asked cautiously, still leaving his hand out for her to take again if she still wanted it. She thought about it a little, before nodding. He nodded back. "Then try again, and stay under a little bit longer this time. I want you to count to ten before coming back up."

When she was down under again, Shinjiro took a breath himself, and followed her down. He looked up at her, to watch her as she held herself under. Her face was calmer, and her eyes were closed as she was counting in her head. He reached a hand out, and delicately patted her knee, causing her to open her eyes to look at him. Her mouth curled up into a small smile, and she looked away as she finished counting. They both resurfaced together.

After composing herself once more, she grinned. "How am I doing, Senp- Shinji?" She asked, quickly correcting herself, and calling him Shinji for the first time. The name felt nice on her tongue, and she couldn't help smiling as she said it. She noticed he smiled a little at the name, and then he looked around. The others were still busy down at the other end of the pool, and seemingly not caring about their activities in the shallow end.

"You're doing well, let's try some actual swimming now."

"Eh?" Her eyes widened in alarm, and she looked up at his serious expression. He nodded.

"It's not difficult, come here." He said, beckoning her to come closer to him. Heart in her throat, she slowly walked closer to him. He crossed his arms, his hands gripping his elbows, and held them out. "Place your hands on my arms." He said, and she complied. Holding onto him firmly, she felt her heart skip from the contact.

'_Stop that._' she chided herself, trying to concentrate.

"I'll be your support." he said. "Now, relax. Lean your weight on my arms, and let yourself float." She looked at him sceptically. "Don't worry, I've got you." He assured, nodding to her.

She tried to follow his instruction but was wary about putting too much weight onto his arms. Then she looked up at him, to see he had raised an eyebrow, noticing how delicate she was being. She then realised that considering all his strength, and how little she was, it was rather silly being so gentle, so she leant all her weight on him. He smirked, shifting his stance to support her properly. He watched as she managed to bring herself into a general floating position, though a little wobbly.

"Good, now try to kick your feet under the water." He instructed, watching her little feet slowly start to flail under the surface. "Yeah, like that."

"Hey, what are those two doing?" Junpei asked the others, looking over at the two in the shallow end. Everyone around him stopped to look over, and Akihiko chuckled.

"Shinji is a good teacher. He taught me how to swim. I'd leave them alone if I were you." He explained, before going back to doing lengths.

* * *

Hamuko returned from the vending machine holding two tall cans of drink, and placed them on the table between hers and Shinjiro's deck chairs. He didn't move a muscle upon hearing her approach. "I got you Moonkist, if that's alright." she said, taking hers and sitting down on her deck chair. She popped the tab of the can open and took a small sip. Shinjiro nodded, and did the same, placing his back down on the table afterwards. He leant back on the deck chair, grateful for the shade the trees were giving them.

"You did well today." he commended, closing his eyes.

"Thanks..." She replied sheepishly, blushing a little. She leant back too, her drink clutched steadily in her hands. "You're a good teacher." she commented, smiling. She could see him smile from the corner of her eye.

"I taught Aki and Miki to swim." he said quietly, opening his eyes to watch Akihiko backstroke across the pool, to the amazement of the younger students.

"Akihiko-senpai's sister?" Hamuko asked, reaching out to place her drink on the table, then turning over onto her side to face Shinjiro. He nodded, turning his head to face her.

"Whilst we were still at the orphanage." He started to explain. "The moron didn't like the water, but Miki was down-right terrified of it… A bit like you were." He commented, making her blush. He ignored the pink on her cheeks. "So the hot-headed idiot jumped in, to prove it wasn't that bad." He sighed, a small nostalgic smile edging onto his lips.

Hamuko listened silently, trying to take in everything he was saying. She knew roughly of Akihiko's sister, but not very much other than she died in a fire when Akihiko was young. Shinjiro carried on talking. "The idiot was too proud and stubborn to let me teach him at first, nearly drowned himself. Finally convinced him to let me coach him. Once he was confident, Miki was finally coaxed into the pool." He gave a sad sigh, then chuckled. "We couldn't get her out of it afterwards, she loved it. She took to it so naturally..."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each wrapped up in their own emotions. Shinjiro's words left a sense of sadness and loss in Hamuko's chest, sympathy for the death of a girl she never knew. Whilst she felt sorrow and grief, Shinjiro was lost in the few happy memories of their friendship, and an odd warmth in his chest as he thought of the girl sat next to him. He put it down to pride in teaching her how to swim, like he did his childhood friends, and ignored the nagging memories of how the familiar sensation crept up on him when he was with her.

"Shall we have another lesson before dinner?" He asked, getting up and gesturing to the water again. Hamuko nodded, jumping up and following him to the pool side and into the cool water. "Do you want me to be your support still?" he asked, standing in front of her.

"Yes please." she sighed hopelessly, still a little cautious of the water. Shinjiro nodded, crossing his arms before his chest and letting her lean her weight against him.

* * *

Mitsuru handed Shinjiro the key to their room. "We're on the floor below, in room 102." She informed him. "Call us if you need anything." She then took her leave, walking down the stairs to the first floor. Hamuko looked up at the door to their room, and read the ornate numbers '205'. The rooms available were placed one on each floor, each with a different style of décor. Mitsuru insisted that this was the best way to ensure that the hotel could be properly assessed.

The two room-mates watched as Mitsuru left, before going to unlock the door. Hamuko took a few tentative steps in, finding their bags had already been placed just inside. '_That was thoughtful..._' she thought, smiling to herself. Then she stepped out into the main section of the room, and her mouth gaped open.

Two beds lay before her, a single and a double, decked out in luxurious chocolate brown sheets. Small lamps and lights were strategically scattered around the room, bouncing light off the elaborate wall décor and lavish drape curtains. The colour scheme of the room revolved around a deep brown, with maroon accents and bronze metal work.

Hamuko stood, stunned by the spectacular room, and didn't notice Shinjiro walk up behind her, with his bag slung over his shoulder. He coughed, brushing past her as he walked over to the single bed, and sat himself down. "I'll take this one." He said simply, dumping his bag down at the end of the bed. The auburn haired girl nodded, quickly hopping back to pick up her own purple overnight bag.

"I'm so full!" She huffed, dropping her bag by her bedside and flopping face down onto the soft duvet. She was almost enveloped by the poof of the covers and the spring of the mattress. '_So much comfier than my bed home!_' she thought, in a state of eternal bliss. She turned her head to the side, to see Shinji looking at her with a look of amusement on his face.

"You had the pasta salad?" He asked, lying back on his bed, and resting his hands beneath his head. He watched Hamuko move her head in what appeared to be a nod. He smiled. "Pasta salads with pesto are simple, but appear quite fancy." he said coolly, smirking a little. "I'm surprised the chef didn't dice the mozzarella; the cheese can be quite strong in those larger disks." He pondered.

Hamuko sat up. "I did think the cheese was a bit much..." She thought aloud, before smiling up at her senior. "Wow, you do know your food, huh?" she complimented, making his cheeks dust in a faint pink. "What did you have?" She asked, though she already knew. She watched as him order a simple burger and fries, and though he didn't say a word during the animated dinner discussions, she thought he looked like he was enjoying it.

"American style cheeseburger..." He said, shrugging. "Burgers are usually overcooked in places like this, and aren't always as fresh as they'd like you to believe. Kirijo said test the waters, so I tested." He chuckled. "It wasn't half bad either."

Hamuko smiled, enjoying the sound of his laughter. She didn't get to hear it often, and was secretly pleased that she could hear it now, when no-one else was around. Then she thought, when does he laugh around the others? She was left pondering as Shinjiro checked his watch for the time.

"It's getting late." He prompted, getting up and grabbing his bag. "Go change in the bathroom, I'll wait." He said, looking up at her expectantly. She rolled over onto her back and pushed herself into an upright position.

"Right..." She said, getting up to rummage through her bag for her pyjamas. She pulled out the navy shorts, but couldn't seem the find the loose white top she swore she packed. Another rummage left her troubled. Did she leave it at home? "I can't seem to find my top..." She mused out loud, rummaging through again. The contents of her bag upturned and in complete disarray, she gave up, and slumped down on the floor in dismay. She looked down at the fitted, orange V-neck top she threw on after getting out of the changing room shower, which was still a little damp. '_This'll have to do.._.' She thought miserably, resigning herself to a cold night.

Black cotton was thrust in front of her face, and she looked up to see Shinjiro handing her a t-shirt. His face was turned away from her and his eyes cast in shadow from his hair. "Take it. I usually sleep topless anyway." He said, dropping it on her lap and walking back to his bed. Blood rushed to Hamuko's cheeks, and she stuttered a thank you before scampering away to the bathroom. He glanced at her, feeling that peculiar warmth in his chest again.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door creaked open, and Shinjiro turned his eyes towards the noise. Peering around the door, Hamuko fiddled with her hair, which she had finally let down into soft waves, whilst holding her slightly damp clothes on her other hand. Shinjiro's face suddenly felt hot, as he looked down at her clothing. His t-shirt, which was baggy on him, was so long on her, it draped down almost to her knees, allowing only a few centimetres of her shorts poking out of the bottom. He spun away, feeling indecent to even look at her.

"Thank you for this..." Mumbled Hamuko from behind him, and he heard her nails tap against the metal radiator as she hung her wet clothes up. "You can change now..." She said, pausing to look at his back, before crawling into her double bed. When he turned to see her, he smirked as he noticed how the large bed seemed to swamp her as well.

'_There is room for two..._' The back of his mind whispered to him, and he instantly straightened his expression as he scolded himself for his thoughts. He grabbed his grey sweat-pants, and went to change in the bath room.

He emerged a few minutes later, feeling anxious about walking out without a shirt. '_You've been without one almost all day..._' He tried to remind himself, yet not feeling any better for it. He couldn't put his finger on what was different, but he had a nagging feeling that it wasn't about the exposure. Trying to steadily walk over to sit on his bed, he realised why he felt uneasy. This was far too intimate for his liking. Her bed was only half a metre away from his; they were sleeping extremely closely. He peeked at Hamuko in the corner of his eye, and his chest fluttered when he saw she had already drifted off. He let himself relax, and he found himself smiling softly.

She looked so serene when she slept. Her round, soft lips were slightly parted, and her long hair lay around her, framing her small, delicate face. She had pulled the duvet up to her neck with one hand, but the other lay against her pillow. Shinjiro's smile faded, and he felt his hand reach out to hover over hers. He swallowed nervously, before withdrawing and pulling back his own duvet and shuffling himself silently into bed. His hand tingled, remembering how close it got to Hamuko's hand, and he held it against his beating chest. '_You idiot._'

Water.

Everywhere was water.

It was cold. Harsh. Stinging sprays lashed at her face.

Dark. Everything was dark. Then suddenly a bright beam struck her eyes, as lightening crashed in the distance. Then darkness again.

All she could feel was the water. The water was moving around her, and it was moving fast. Dragging her, pushing her, pulling her. Her feet struggled, trying to gain purchase on something, anything, so stop herself from being dragged under.

Nothing.

Her feet kicked and flailed, but there was nothing beneath her. Just water. It started to crash harder against her, waves pummelled down against her head, pushing her underwater. She could feel it flood into her mouth, up her nose. She tried to scream, but it wouldn't let her. The waves were thunderous against her ears, and she fought with all her strength to stop them from ripping her limbs from her body. She kicked and jerked her feet, trying to push herself to the surface. Higher, she needed to go higher.

She broke the water's surface, gasping for air, but finding only colossal waves heading her way. They screamed and bellowed in her ear, and the thunderstorm whipped them up higher and larger. The wind screeched at her, and she could almost hear a muffled voice carried in the gusts... Calling her name...

"Hamuko!"

A wave hit her, beating her back underwater again. She tried to scream, and push and fight. She could hear the wind again. It sounded louder, more distressed.

"Hamuko, wake up!"

Hamuko bolted up with a start, her eyes wide open and seeing only darkness.

"Hamuko, are you alright?" Came a familiar voice, and her mind adjusted to her setting, though still trembling with fear. Her eyes started to adjust to the gloom, and she could make out a shadowy silhouette of Shinjiro next to her. Feeling in her body started to stream back into her mind, and she could feel her pyjamas clinging to her back with sweat. She could also feel a hand holding her upper arm, and an arm wrapped around her back, as if she was being shaken. She looked back up at the silhouette, and let out a heavy breath. Shinjiro was the wind.

"I'm okay..." she stuttered, still shaking a little from the nightmare. She tried to shift, sitting a little more upright, and pulling her hair away from her face. "Just a nightmare... I'm sorry I woke you." She trembled, looking up at Shinjiro with apologetic eyes. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and the moon shone through the curtains, lighting up his face up in a muted silver glow. Her eyes widened in shock. His face was contorted by fear, and alarm. No façade hid the emotion in his face, or the pain in his eyes. He relaxed, realising she was okay, and she watched as his face swiftly smoothed out from worry to relief. He let go of her, and leant back.

She noticed he was sitting on the other side of her bed, and his own bed was behind them, empty. He didn't return to it. "Do you want to talk about it?" He murmured, his voice laced with concern. She thought about it, and slowly nodded.

"I was... lost, in the sea..." She slowly admitted, looking down at her hands as she tried to piece together what she could remember of her nightmare. "It was stormy, and the waves were really heavy... Like they were trying to drown me..." She started to shake again, trembling from recalling the fear she felt. A soft hand reached out and held her upper arm, in comfort, and her shaking calmed a little. She looked back up at his face.

"I had a nightmare like that before..." Shinjiro admitted, turning his face away. He grimaced, thinking about it. "It's what drove me to learn to swim." He said simply, not relaying the rest of the details onto Hamuko. He remembered the nightmare clearly, but he wasn't the one drowning. He had to watch as his only friend, who he considered his brother, drowning out in the middle of no-where, as Shinjiro couldn't do anything to save him. He couldn't imagine how it must have been for Hamuko, having just barely overcome her fear of the water.

Shinjiro looked back at Hamuko, and gave her a small smile. "Are you going to be okay?" He asked, unwillingly shifting to get up and go back to his own bed. A small hand caught his arm, and his heart jumped as he quickly span back to look at the small girl next to him. The moonlight highlighted her petite face, and he felt his heart beat quicken. Her round, red eyes looked up at him, pleading him.

"Please..." she murmured, her eyes still locked onto his. Though he knew she was going to be okay, he couldn't bring himself to move, captured by her gaze. He could make out a blush on her cheeks, and she finally broke their eye contact by looking down shyly. "I don't want to drown again..." she whispered fearfully under her breath, referring to the nightmare. "Please... can I have support?" She asked, her voice sounding voice and innocent. She felt helpless, but she felt like having him there supporting her like he would in the water would help... She wanted him there with her.

He took in a deep breath, preparing himself to reply. Rather than speak, he pulled the duvet back, and slipped under them with her. Looking up at her, he shifted and held his arms out in front of his chest, crossing them like he did when he was teaching her. She sighed in relief, and reached her tiny hands out to hold his arms. Then she pulled herself closer to him, and tucked her head in his chest.

"Thank you..." she whispered, feeling comforted enough to allow exhaustion overcome her again. Waiting until she was fast asleep, Shinjiro listened to her calm breathing, feeling like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. With another deep breath, he leant down and kissed the top of her head, before relaxing and letting himself drift off again. His last thoughts before he slept wondered how she really felt about him, and if she just wanted him to comfort her for tonight. He decided that for now, he didn't care. '_You complete idiot..._'

* * *

**Author's notes;** Another long chapter. I hope to make this the standard for my chapters from now on.

From now on, updates will not be as fast.

Thanks for reading! Any feedback you have would be great!


	3. Three- Rage

**Afflictions  
**

**TRIGGER WARNING; REFERENCES TO SEXUAL ASSULT**

* * *

**Chapter three; Rage.**

The dorm was silent, apart from the sounds of turning pages from the lounge. Almost everyone was at school, leaving Shinjiro alone. He had decided that today was another one of those days when school wasn't in his best interests. Instead, he decided to catch up on the last two issues of his favourite cooking magazine. He was reading how long to bake cheesecake filling when he heard a clattering commotion by the front door. Furrowing his brow suspiciously, he put the magazine down on the coffee table and stood. Everyone was at school, and as far as he knew, no-one was scheduled to return until later that afternoon. A glance at the wall clock told him it was barely even noon, and he turned his eyes back to the door.

The sound of a key clumsily battling the lock echoed through the hall, and finally the door swung open. Shinjiro's eyes flew open, when he saw his dorm-mate stumble in, shaking. Hamuko's uniform was completely dishevelled, her bow untied and hanging around her neck. Her socks had fallen to bunch around her ankles, and the top buttons on her blouse had been ripped off, leaving part of her bra exposed. The zipper of her skirt was torn open, and her whole uniform was creased and crumpled, as if she had been in a struggle. Blood dripped from her grazed knees and bashed elbows, as well as a small cut from the corner of her bottom lip. Shinjiro dashed forward to her in alarm, as Hamuko leant against the door, slumping to the floor. She stifled back sobs, her entire face red, and wet from tears. She looked up at the anxious Shinjiro, her eyes dark and empty.

"Hamuko, what happened?" Shinjiro asked, his voice laced with horror. He knelt beside her, and reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. With a yelp, she darted away, scuffling backwards. Her wide eyes watched him cautiously, like a scared rabbit watching a hungry wolf. Shinjiro's face fell in dismay, as she continued to edge backwards, until she was backed into the corner between the wall and the front desk. He didn't advance, watching with his mouth agape from where he knelt. "Hamuko…" he whispered, keeping his voice hushed in attempt to not scare her again.

More heavy tears trickled down her face, dripping onto the collar of her blouse. She was still trying to collect her thoughts. She couldn't quite believe what had happened, her body trembling in shock. Her empty eyes stared at Shinjiro, her chest heaving as she tried to force back the shrieks she had bottled up. She pulled her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around her legs. Trying to make herself as small as possible, she withdrew into the corner, and leaning her face into her thighs, she started to let out the sobs she had kept in until now.

In-between the slowly loudening weeps, words started to tumble from her trembling lips. "W-what did I do?" she cried, each word piercing Shinjiro's ears. He watched in horror and shock, his chest pained as he watched the girl break down in front of him. "I didn't…" She carried on gushing, weeping into her skirt. "Why did he…"

Catching the first piece of distinguishable information he had gotten from her, he leaned forwards a little. "Who? Who is he? What did he do?" He asked urgently, holding his breath in dread. Hamuko's sobs quietened to a pained sniffle, and she looked up at him, her face contorted in agony and humiliation.

"He… he…" She started to stutter, before her eyes glazed over, empty once more. "Why me?" she whimpered, her body slumping. Shinjiro's eyes hardened, and he started to piece together why she was distraught. The ripped clothes, the bloody knees, the cut lip. The exposed bra, the torn skirt.

"Hamuko, did you run all the way from school?" He asked cautiously, to which Hamuko nodded solemnly. "Hamuko," he repeated her name, trying to keep her attention as her eyes fell to the floor. "Did this happen at school?" He asked quietly. Her face twisted in agony again, and tears welled up in her eyes as she nodded again.

"Hamuko, who did this to you?"

A silence fell between them, and Shinjiro bit his tongue, forcing himself to remain quiet as he waited for an answer.

"M-Mr Ekoda…"

Shinjiro filled with overwhelming anger, his own body starting to shake with rage. He dropped his head to look at the floor, casting his eyes in shadow. As the classic literature teacher, he was responsible for hundreds of students. Everyone held a strong trust in all of their tutors, and he had the audacity to abuse one of his students. Shinjiro's blood boiled at the thought, and that the fact he targeting Hamuko for his dirty attack. "That…" he started to growl, his voice slowly getting louder. "That asshole." He roared, causing Hamuko to yelp and scramble back into her corner. He balled his hands into tight fists, and he stood up. He stared down at Hamuko. "What did that bastard to do you? I'll break his neck." He snarled, a dark fire set in his eyes.

Hamuko yelped, leaping forward to grab the knee of his jeans, but carefully not touching his leg beneath it. "Please don't." She cried, ducking her head down at the floor in shame. "Please…" she whimpered. He stared down at her with sharp eyes. She shook, dropping her hand from his knee. "I don't want anyone to know." She trembled, looking up to his eyes and letting more tears roll down her eyes. An ashamed red crept over her face. "I don't…"

'_What the hell is she talking about? He can't just…_' he thought, getting angrier at her submissive behaviour. "So are you just going to let him get away with it?" He shouted down at her, eyes flaring and waving his arms about in rage. She whimpered, flinching away from him. He scowled, turning away and running his hands through his hair. He gave out a discontented sigh. "Whatever." He growled, skulking off into the lounge again.

Hamuko watched him walk away, before calling out to him. "Shinji..." her voice shook. He stopped looking back at her sharply. The thought of being at school now frightened her, and she felt vulnerable and helpless. She needed help. "Shinji… will you… walk with me to school for a few weeks…" she asked, stuttering and trembling.

He thought about it, not turning his body around to face her. Then he took a deep, pained breath, and glared at her angrily. "Is that all I am to you?" He snapped harshly, not masking the hurt in his voice any more. He tilted his chin up, scowling down at her furiously. "A bodyguard? Is that it?" He shouted, not waiting for a response as he stormed away. He really thought he was more to her than that...

Hamuko lay quivering, letting out hard sobs from Shinjiro's outburst. She couldn't think any more, betrayal sitting heavily in her chest. It took her minutes to get the willpower to push herself up. She looked up with bloodshot eyes at Shinjiro, who was purposefully turned away from her, hiding his disappointment, fury, and distress.

Hamuko wandered up to her room, locking the door behind her. Her eyes were dry, as she had no more tears left to shed. She crouched in the middle of her floor, rolling up into a ball.

'_Why me?'_

'_Why did__ he…?_'

'_What did I do?_'

'_I'm sorry… Shinji…_'

She toppled over, and lay comatose on her floor, her mind flooded with questions, and her skin crawling. She could almost feel her attacker's fingers over her skin again, feel the moisture in his breath in her ear, his tight grip against her wrists. She clenched her eyes tight, trying to shed the feeling of violation from her body.

* * *

"Is something wrong with Hamuko?" Yukari asked, glancing at the particularly cold senior she was usually close to. Junpei, Fuuka, and Mitsuru all turned to Shinjiro, who turned away silently. As the loyal friend, Yukari stood up, raising her voice. "She hasn't come out of her room in three days." She stated sharply, noting a small wince in Shinjiro's back from her words. There was silence as everyone waited for a reply, their breaths held.

"She has been out of her room." Shinjiro stated curtly, shooting a glare at Yukari, who faltered. He turned his face towards the kitchen, and nodded. "She has been down to the kitchen, early every morning. She takes two slices of bread."

"What's that supposed to mean? She's eating? Well that's all just fine and dandy then." Junpei cheered sarcastically, his voice high in apprehension. "Oh, two slices of bread, that's totally feeding her well." Everyone flinched at his tone. Mitsuru noted how Shinjiro had held a monopoly over their food over the last three days, counting and noting all of their groceries. She realised exactly why; he wanted to make sure she was eating. Shinjiro sighed. Everyone watched sceptically, as he stood abruptly, and left the dining room without a word.

"He knows something. Is she ill?" Yukari whispered to the other three, clearly worried. The others shrugged, her faces mirroring her anxiety.

* * *

Stopped outside his room, Shinjiro unlocked it and walked inside. Slamming the door shut behind him, he went to sit on his bed, and held his head in his hands. '_Damn it, Hamuko._' He cursed, staring up at the ceiling. The thought of what she must have been through made his blood boil, his hands shaking again. The image of her when she ran into the dorm the other day flashed to his mind. Her pained expression, her torn uniform, her bleeding knees… Her tears… His chest heaved in pain, and he bit his tongue, to refrain himself from doing something stupid. '_Why did you shout at her?_' the back of his mind asked him bluntly. He felt anger rush over him once more. '_He should pay for what he did._' He shot back at himself, tensing his hands into hard fists on his lap. '_She didn__'t want that…_' he reminded herself of her expression. She felt ashamed of what happened to her. Understanding started to wash over him, and he relaxed his hands.

'_Why did I shout at her?_' he thought, suddenly pained with regret. Running his hands through his hair again, he clenched at the long locks with anger once again. Agony ran through every inch of his body, remorse hot like fire in his veins. He had come to care greatly for the new dorm member. He felt a warmth in his chest when she smiled, and a pull at his heart when she laughed. Despite not involving himself with people often, he felt lonely when she wasn't around…

The cold student let out a harsh cry of distress, realising how much he must have hurt her. Every bond they had between them had broken before his eyes, at his own words. "You idiot." He yelled at himself, not caring who heard him anymore. He buried his face in his pillow, tensing his entire body in an attempt to release his anguish. Face down on his bed, he lay motionless for what seemed like hours, battling with his torment.

After what was actually half an hour, he heard a small, meek tap at his door. Clenching his jaw, he sat himself up and stared at it. "Who is it?" He snapped, his brow lowered in frustration. There was a moment of silence before he got a reply.

"Shinji?" A small voice came from behind the door, and he instantly recognised it as Hamuko. He shot up, and creaked the door open to see her stood timidly in front of it. She looked up at him, her eyes dull and lacking of their usual spark, and sporting dark circles under them. His face fell. '_She's worse than I thought…_' he thought, wanting to reach out and pull her into a comforting hug. He held back, knowing it wouldn't help. She looked back down at her feet, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "Can… can we talk?" she asked quietly, not looking at him. He could see her shoulders were tense, and his eyes drifted down to her clenched fists. Was she scared he was going to shout at her again?

"Sure…" he replied gently, opening the door wider and inviting her in. She shook her head, slightly wary about being in his bedroom. He looked down at her, and sighed. "Naganaki shrine?" he suggested, to which she nodded. He looked down at her attire, consisting of a very large, shapeless black t-shirt, and long, dark jogging bottoms. He recognised the top as the one he leant her at the hotel, to sleep in, and felt a jolt in his chest. He didn't ask for it back, and she must have thrown it on as something formless to cover her up. Slight joy filled him, as he realised that she must not completely hate him for what he did, as she felt most comfortable wearing his shirt. He wondered if it still smelt of him.

His eyes fell to her feet, which were bare. "Have you got some shoes?" he asked softly. She stood motionless, not caring about the state of her feet. He sighed, walking out and closing his bedroom door behind him, not bothering to lock it. He walked over to Akihiko's room, leaving Hamuko standing in the hallway, and he pulled out his keys from his pocket. A third key hung on the ring, and he used it to open Akihiko's door. Wandering in, he head straight for the closet and pulled the doors open. His eyes fell on what he was looking for, and he pulled out a small pair of shoes. He wandered back out, locking Akihiko's door behind him, and handed the sandals to Hamuko.

"Put these on." He ordered, watching as she slowly slipped them onto her feet. He nodded, and started to walk away, with her following. She hung her head low, passing the others in the dorm without saying a word.

"Hey, Hamuko, are you alright?" Junpei called out from the dining room, after the two had passed and headed towards the door. She didn't answer, wincing at his voice. Shinjiro shot him a silencing look, before opening the door and letting them both out. "What's up with them?" Junpei asked gruffly, before turning back to his video game.

The walk to the shrine was silent, and he watched her carefully. She walked with her body tense, as if guarding herself from the world. Her eyes darted everywhere, with every step she took. Every movement, every shadow, every leaf blowing in the wind, she slightly jumped and jolted in fear of every one of them. Shinjiro's face fell, trying to understand how scared she felt. Reaching their special spot at the shrine, they both sat on the bench.

Moments of silence passed, before Hamuko spoke. "I was the last out of the classroom." She started, her voice trembling. Shinjiro focused on her words, realising she was opening up about what happened. "Everyone else had left, but I had some text books to tidy. I thought he had left, but I heard him slide the door closed behind me…" Her voice shook more as she spoke, reliving the painful memory. "Suddenly, he was behind me. He grabbed my wrists. Pulled me towards him. Then forced me… against… the wall." She started to stammer, and she closed her eyes. She dug her fingernails into her palms, and took a deep breath in. '_I need to do this._' She thought to herself determinedly.

"He held my wrist with one hand… and started to rip my shirt open with the other. I tried to scream, but he smacked me… He leant over to my ear… and whispered…" she took another deep breath, looking at Shinjiro. His eyes were set on hers, and he nodded at her, trying to comfort her and encourage her to carry on. She closed her eyes again. "'Make a sound, I'll kill you…' he whispered. His hand started to rip at my skirt…" Her face went red, embarrassed and ashamed. "His hand, down…" she couldn't say anymore, choking on her words. She squirmed uncomfortably, remembering his cold, harsh hands against her skin.

Shinjiro let out a small gasp, too quiet for her to notice. His worst fears about her attack were true, and he felt a fire of anger and pain in his chest. He tried to ignore it. '_This is about Hamuko, not me._' He thought, enveloping his complete attention back to her.

"I kicked, and threw my fist out." She said solemnly. "Kicked him hard in the crotch. He let go, fast. My fist got his face, in the eye I think." She let out a deep breath. "I ran away. Everyone was in lesson, no-one saw me leave. I tripped a couple of times on the way home…" she finished, gently rubbing her grazed knees through her jogging bottoms. She sighed, feeling a little relieved at being able to talk about it. A heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders, but she still had something else to clear up.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, looking up at Shinjiro again. "I didn't mean to hurt you." She explained, tears welling up in her eyes again. The inner corners of his brow raised, sorrow showing plainly on his face. She was apologising to him for her behaviour? "You… you do mean more to me than that." She whispered, looking at the floor. "You mean a lot to me… I'm sorry I made you think otherwise…"

"No, don't be." He replied, his heart in his throat. His reply caused her to look up in shock. "I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't have gotten angry at you, it's not your fault." He reached out to ruffle her hair, but she backed away, not wanting a man to touch her again. He paused, slightly hurt, before understanding. "Right…" he said quietly, lowering his hand and sitting it on his lap. She relaxed a little, her eyes sorry. "That's reasonable." He said, nodding to himself.

He looked down, and his chest thumped erratically. If they were apologising to each other, and if Hamuko had the guts now to tell him he meant a lot to her… He could do it now too. He took a deep breath, readying himself up for something he unconsciously had been wanting to do for a while. He turned his torso to face her fully, his eyes locked on hers. He cleared his throat, his heart throbbing in his ears. "Hamuko, you… I… I care for you… a lot…" he started, only the seriousness of the situation keeping his face from blushing a vibrant red. Instead, it settled with a shy pink. "I hate to see you upset… Seeing you in that state the other day…" he grimaced, recalling the image far too clearly in his mind. "It did something to me… made me so angry that someone would do this to you… I couldn't hold back how angry I felt." He carried on talking, as Hamuko looked up at him with her wide, shocked eyes.

He turned his gaze away, looking at the floor. "Damn it, this is the worst time to say this." He chided himself. He glanced at Hamuko, who had mixed emotions on her face. "I understand that you want nothing to do with guys at the moment. I accept that." He said, trying to hide his pain from his voice. "But… I can wait. I'll support you until you can forget about it. Until then, I'll just wait."

Hamuko's mouth gaped open and closed, unsure of what to make from his words. He had resigned himself to waiting for her to recover, so that meant that… She took a sharp intake of breath, watching him with wide eyes. He turned his face away from her, embarrassed. She breathed out deeply, turning to look at the floor. "You're right…" she murmured, her voice breaking at the first word she had said in a while, her words caught in her throat. "I need space…" she said, watching his shoulders fall. "But… thank you…" she said quietly, fidgeting with her hands on her lap.

There was silence between them, as they both tried to comprehend and accept what just happened. Shinjiro scolded himself, realising his timing was ridiculously bad, and feeling incredibly stupid and selfish. He was the last thing Hamuko should have been thinking about, and he let his stupid emotions run wild and get in the way. He scowled to himself, though the regret he felt couldn't shift the relief or elation he felt from being able to tell her how he felt. Hamuko wallowed a little in her grief, sorrowful that she couldn't accept Shinjiro's feelings just yet. She needed time.

"I can walk with you around, if you still want that." Shinjiro said seriously, breaking the silence. He had realised that her asking him to accompany her was an act of strong trust. He hoped he hadn't broken it earlier. He had promised to help her recover from her ordeal, and if she needed someone to accompany her around, he was more than happy to do that for her. It did mean spending more time with her, and now he had put his feelings out there, he decided he had to be certain of what he wanted. The corners of her mouth curled into the first smile she had for days, and she nodded.

"Please…" she replied, hanging her head low again. "I want to go back to school… but I'm scared…" A shiver ran up her spine. Being in the same building as the man who attacked her made her skin crawl, but she couldn't let him get to her.

"Right. I'll help." He stated, taking a deep breath. He exhaled slowly, thinking carefully. He solemnly thought to himself, he couldn't skip school anymore. He needed to be there for her, now she really needed him. "Going back tomorrow, then?" he asked simply. Hamuko hesitated, before nodding. Shinjiro nodded in agreement, then leant his head back to look up at the setting sun. "Right. We'll leave early." He stated, his tone rising in question.

"Yeah." She replied, too looking up at the sky. She swung her feet slightly, and looked down at the plain black sandals on her feet. "Shinji…" she said, examining them. They looked brand new, the black leather straps still clean and straight. They were a little small for her, and they pinched at her heels, but she didn't care. Shinjiro turned to look at her, and his eyes followed her line of sight until he saw what she was curious about. He looked back up to the sky.

"Every year, on Miki's birthday, Aki buys her a pair of shoes. He leaves them in his closet." He sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "She liked having shoes, her eyes lit up when Aki bought back a new pair for her to wear." He reminisced, with Hamuko listening carefully. He sighed, sitting upright and looking in the direction of the dorm. "Aki won't mind. Miki won't be needing them." He said quietly, letting his face fall.

* * *

Shinjiro stood outside the door to the class 2-E, watching in cautiously. He could make out Hamuko's silhouette, sitting in the middle of the class, and the sharp voice of the classic literature teacher ebbed through the cracks around the door. Shinjiro felt his fists tense, a red haze falling over his eyes. He shook his head, trying to snap out of it. '_That won't help Hamuko._' He thought, letting his hands fall limp at his sides. He waited patiently, and the school bell rang from down the hall. Once the students in the room started to move, Shinjiro watched the teacher and Hamuko tensely.

The first student left the room, and left the door wide open for the others to stream out. He made eye contact with Hamuko, and nodded in comfort. She sent a small smile back, and hurriedly packed her stuff into her bag. Shinjiro dared a glance at Mr Ekoda, who wore a small bandage above his eye. Shinjiro smirked at the mark Hamuko had left on him. He observed the teacher was sitting apprehensively, his eyes hard and stern. Hamuko walked swiftly up to Shinjiro, and he smiled at her, before shooting a warning glance at her teacher, who turned away.

They sat up on the roof for lunch. Hamuko sat eating slowly, and silently, whilst Shinjiro accompanied her in silence. He laid down across the bench opposite her, watching the clouds. A cool breeze billowed around them, swaying their jackets. Hamuko had taken to wearing black trousers to school, rather than her usual uniform skirt. Swallowing her mouthful of apple, Hamuko cleared her throat, causing Shinjiro to look toward her curiously. She took a deep breath, before letting him know what was on her mind. "I want to report him." She said simply.

Shinjiro bolted upright, watching her cautiously, though he felt a great relief. "Are you sure?" he asked, letting a small smile play on his lips. She nodded, and managed an equally small smile back. "We can go down to the faculty office now, if you want." He said, standing.

"Yes, please." She said appreciatively, packing up her lunch and putting everything away into her school bag. Shinjiro offered her a hand up, but she declined it, standing by herself. He grimaced, noting that her refusal to let any man touch her was not going away that quickly. He suppressed a sigh, trying not to draw attention to his disappointment. Once they were tidied up, he started to head down to the ground floor, with Hamuko walking slightly behind him.

The library corridor was empty, apart from a familiar red-head pining up notices to the noticeboard outside the faculty office. Hamuko and Shinjiro tensed, seeing their dorm-mate hanging in her usual spot during lunch. Mitsuru looked up at the approaching footsteps, and smiled at them.

"Arisato, it's nice to see you about again." She greeted, nodding in acknowledgment of the two students. Hamuko forced a shy smile, and Shinjiro looked to the side, brushing his fringe back with his hand, which fell back into place instantly. Mitsuru looked at them both with a slightly confused expression on her face. "Is there something you need?" she asked slowly, looking between the two.

"Actually…" Hamuko murmured, looking towards the faculty office. She looked up at Shinjiro, who tried to read her face. He realised that having Mitsuru with them might help, and as both the student president and the daughter of the group that runs the school, she would find out anyway. He nodded in encouragement, as Mitsuru watched on perplexedly. "Can you come with us? I have something to report…" Hamuko tried to state clearly, though her voice trembled a little as she spoke. It all seemed so real now, all the beating herself up over whether to go through with it, coming down to this moment. Until now, she had been able to back out. Shinjiro probably wouldn't have been happy with it, but she had hoped he would understand and accept her choice. Now she had Mitsuru involved, it was too late to turn back on her decision. Taking a deep breath, and trying to channel confidence from her silent companion, she held her head up high. She nodded to Shinjiro, who smirked.

"Alright, let's do this." He encouraged, cheering her on a little.

They pushed open the door to the faculty office, and the eyes of many teachers looked across at them. Hamuko cleared her throat once more before walking up to Ms Toriumi, the closest member of staff. Shinjiro hovered behind her, cautious of their audience. Mitsuru followed them in, her face alert.

"M-Ms Toriumi." Hamuko stuttered, silencing the entire room. Shinjiro tensed, ready to support her. "I'd like to…" she paused, shuddering in fear. A cough from Shinjiro made her take a deep breath, and she started again. "I'd like to report an act of sexual assault, from one of the teachers."

Mitsuru gasped, stepping forward, as all the teacher's eyes widened and jaws dropped. Ms Toriumi's eyes narrowed, nervous. "Is that why you cooped yourself up in your room all this time?" Mitsuru asked, stunned. Hamuko dropped her gaze to the floor, feeling instantly self-conscious. Shinjiro nodded to the student president in confirmation.

"Which teacher was this?" The member of staff asked, standing up and picking up the receiver to the school's overhead PA system.

"Mr Ekoda." Hamuko mumbled, starting to shake in fear again. The teacher bought the receiver to her lips, and held down the speaker button. Her loud voice echoed through all the halls and classrooms, booming from the various speakers placed around the site.

"Mr Ekoda, report to the faculty office.

I repeat, Mr Ekoda, report to the faculty office."

She placed the receiver down, to see Hamuko struggling to breath. '_He's coming here?_' she thought, in a state of alarm. She staggered back, pressing herself against the wall. Her two friends rushed to her side, looking back and forth between the teacher and the distressed student.

"You're bringing that asshole here?" Shinjiro snapped, his eyes furious at Ms Toriumi. The teacher nodded, her eyes sorrowful. "She had a hard enough time dealing with him in class, why did you think calling him in here whilst she was reporting him was a good idea?" he almost bellowed at her, watching her wince. He looked down at the shaking Hamuko, holding back from touching her. He did not want to make the situation any worse for her than it already was.

"Aragaki, we need to hear what he has to say." Toriumi replied curtly, to which Mitsuru stepped forward. Her face was a picture of fury, and all the on-looking teachers in the room turned away from it in fear.

"Did you really consider the after effects of a sexual assault?" the senior snapped, her eyes sharp daggers at the woman. She hissed in anger, glaring at her. "A confrontation is the least productive method to tackle this issue, surely you should know that."

At that moment, the door slid open, and Hamuko gasped as a seemingly unaware Ekoda wandered in. His eyes fell on Hamuko, who hung her head in shame and humiliation. His eyes then darted to Shinjiro, who no longer held back the anger and disgust from his face. The two women stood by them turned to him, their faces serious and solemn. The other teachers turned to stare at him in disgust and horror. In that moment, the calm in his eyes dissipated, and everyone watched him snap.

In one fluid motion, he rushed across the room towards the shaking student, who let out a shrill cry in terror. Shinjiro darted forwards, placing himself between the two. The teacher stopped before the tall, heavily built student, his eyes blazing with fury and fingers twitching erratically in desire to attack. Shinjiro snarled down at him, fighting back the urges to reap revenge on him for what he did to Hamuko. The teacher backed off, but leaned around to glare at the trembling young girl.

"You'll pay for this." He spat, making Shinjiro growl down at him again. Toriumi had already called for security by this point, and other male teachers dashed forwards to hold Ekoda back. He kicked and struggled against his restraints, who were pulling him back and away at the students. "Make a sound, and I'll kill you." The violent man screeched back, repeating his words from the attack. Shinjiro whipped around to look at Hamuko, who had heavy tears rolling down her cheeks, and empty eyes. "You bitch, you're a disgusting whore who was asking for it, and you deserved everything you got." The teacher continued to bellow at her in spittle-flying rage.

"No… no…" she mumbled under her breath, her face contorting in pain and anguish. Her legs gave way, and she slid down the wall into a crumpled pile on the floor. Shinjiro panicked, and shot an enraged look at her attacker. His eyes back to Hamuko, he took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Hamuko." He apologised in advance, and gestured for Mitsuru to open the door. He reached down, and grabbed her arm, to which Hamuko barely even noticed. Mumbling to herself, she was in an agonising trance, reliving her assault and the past few days of turmoil. He shifted her so he could get his arm around her, and he looped one arm under her knees. In one swift scoop, he had her in his arms, and he held her head to his chest. Making sure her ears were covered from the verbal abuse being hurled at her, he steadied his grip on her and ran.

Through the doors, and out of the front courtyard, he finally stopped once they were outside of the gates. He stood, gasping, as the run carrying Hamuko left him out of breath. Hamuko was shaking in his arms, and he released his hand from over her ear. "Shhh…" he started to comfort her, until her shaking ceased. She looked up at him with wet, round eyes. "Come on." He said softly, carefully putting her down onto her own feet. She stumbled a little, then stood still in front of him. Her posture was stooped, her head hung low in distress. Shinjiro looked back at the school, relying on Mitsuru to clear the bastard out of there.

"Shinji…" her little voice whimpered, and he turned his eyes back at Hamuko. She had looked up, but her face was twisted in pain. She sniffled back tears, but that didn't stop them falling down her face. "What he said…" she started to mumble, to which Shinjiro scowled.

"What he said was complete bullshit." He stated curtly, interrupting her sentence. Anger slightly tinged the tone of his voice. She looked up at him, relief slowly edging onto her face. He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "What an asshole. You didn't deserve any of what you got." He said, his brow furrowing in anger. He tried to relax himself, realising that calm was what Hamuko needed. She looked down, obviously still dwelling on the abuse she endured today.

"Let's walk home." Shinjiro suggested, receiving a small, meek nod in reply. They silently wondered down to the monorail station, and boarding their journey back without a word. Shinjiro watched her carefully, his chest aching as he watched more tears flow down the tracks already made on her face. She didn't bother to wipe them away. Once at Iwatodai station, Shinjiro looked down at the strip mall. He paused, then looked down at Hamuko. "Just let me pick something up." He said, a small idea flashing into his head. She followed obediently, not caring where they went at all. The upperclassman stopped outside of 'Bookworm', looking in. "I'll be one minute." He cautioned, receiving the all-too-familiar nod reply. He sighed, walking in, and walking out a minute later with a lump in his jacket pocket.

They walked back to the dorm silently, and once they reached the front door, Shinjiro stopped before unlocking it. He looked down at Hamuko curiously, her face now dry from tears, but still empty of emotion. "Have you ever played 'Rummy' before?" he asked, conversationally. Her curiosity caught, she looked up at him, shaking her head. He gave her a small smile, before pulling a small box from his pocket. He had popped into the used book store to buy a pack of cards. "Come on, I'll teach you." He said, letting them both into the dorm.

Within minutes, their bags were slung into the corners of the room, with no care for the possessions inside. The two were sat on the floor, on opposite sides of the coffee table in the lounge. Shinjiro sat lazily with his legs crossed, whilst Hamuko sat neatly, her legs folded underneath her. The senior took the cards from the pack, and started to shuffle the deck. Hamuko's eyes followed his hands, almost hypnotised by the movements.

"We used to play this when Aki or Miki were upset." Shinjiro explained, dealing ten cards to each of them. He placed the rest of the deck in the middle of the table and picked up his hand, gesturing to Hamuko to do so too. "It's a good distraction." He said, looking at his hand of cards. "Right, so you need to get either a run, or a set." He started to explain the rules, as Hamuko watched him. "Which means at least three consecutive numbers in the same suit, or at least three of the same number." He drew a card from the deck, placing it in his hand. "Every turn, you have to pick up one card, and discard one card." He placed down a two of hearts next to the deck. "You can either pick up from the deck, or pick up the card I just dropped." Hamuko nodded, getting her head around the rules. He gestured for her to take her turn.

She looked down at her hand, and started to order them numerically. She had an ace, a two and a six of spades, six and seven of hearts, a five and king of diamonds, and a seven, a nine, and a queen of clubs. She tentatively drew a card from the deck, looking at Shinjiro for approval. He nods, a small smile crawling onto his face. She looks down at the seven of spades, and places it with her other sevens. She placed down the king of diamonds.

Shinjiro picked up the card she placed down. "Yeah, like that." He says softly, rearranging his hand. He placed down three kings in front of him. "When you have a run or a set, you place it down on the table. The first person to have an empty hand wins." He explained finally, before discarding an eight of spades.

They played silently, Shinjiro watching her face carefully. The pain and fear seemed to drain away from her slowly, as she got more involved with their game. With one card in her hand, he watched a subtle smile play on her lips. '_It's working…_' he thought, smiling to himself. Three turns later, Hamuko picked up a card, and her eyes lit up. She dropped the old card she was holding, and placed her last card down on the table; the fourth seven. She looks up a Shinjiro, who still held three cards. He laughed, dropping his hand and running his fingers through his hair.

"Well done, I can't believe I lost." He chuckled, tilting his head to the side as he watched her tidy up the cards. He stood, looking towards the kitchen. "You shuffle, I'll make some coffee." He said, wandering over and flicking the kettle to boil. He watched her clumsily shuffle the cards, her hands slow, and her brow creased in concentration. The deck was placed neatly in the middle of the table when he walked back, carrying two cups of coffee on saucers. He placed them down, pushing the pink cup towards Hamuko, and drinking out of his own green one.

They played for hours, and Hamuko progressively opened up, and was smiling and laughing when the other dorm members got home. They walked in, and saw the Shinjiro sat on the floor, and Hamuko's back turned to them. Concentrating on her cards, she didn't notice the others arrive. Yukari stepped forward, about to ask Hamuko if she was okay, but Shinjiro shot her a warning look. He gestured silently, trying not to catch Hamuko's eyes, for the others to leave them alone. Junpei nodded, grabbing Fuuka's and Yukari's arms and dragging them upstairs. Shinjiro sighed in relief, causing Hamuko to look up quizzically. He smiled, carrying on with their game.

* * *

The hallway clock chimed to signal midnight had ticked over, and the two tired students looked up at it warily. The coffee table was littered with empty cups, and plates which once held sandwiches. The ones by Hamuko had some crusts left over. Hamuko yawned, stretching widely. Shinjiro smirked, gathering all the cards up. "It's late, we should call it a day." He said, starting to tidy up and stack the plates. Hamuko rubbed her eyes, looking up at her companion with a smile.

"Yeah..." She murmured, grateful for the time he spent with her trying to cheer her up. She starting helping with tidying up, picking up some of the cups and walking over to the sink. She placed them in carefully, and felt Shinjiro's large body stood behind her. She hesitated, her heart skipping, before moving out of the way for him to access the sink. He started to wash up, as she leant against the counter, thoughtful.

"Thank you." She said softly, looking up at Shinjiro with her round, red eyes. He looked down at her, drying his hands on a towel. He stopped, dropping the towel to the counter, when she took a cautious step towards him. His heart pounded, and Hamuko slowly wrapped her arms around his waist. His mouth gaped open and closed a couple of times, stunned at her willingness to touch him. As far as he knew, this was the first time she had made any physical contact with anyone since her attack. She tightened her arms around him, leaning her head against his chest. He slowly shifted, carefully wrapping his arms around her in return. Her eyes closed, his scent enveloping her and calming her nerves.

"Thank you…" she whispered again, her voice breaking. He looked down at her, smiling as he leant his chin gently against the top of her head. He felt her chest heave, as she let out a muffled sob. He held her tighter, trying to comfort her.

"Hey, hey don't do that." He said, reaching one hand up to stroke her hair. She looked up at him, her eyes teary. He scowled, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "Please don't cry." He pleaded, leaning her head against his chest again.

"I'm sorry." She apologised, sadly laughing. She held him close, finally comfortable. "I can't…" she started to mumble. "I can't let… him… rule my life." She stuttered, taking a deep breath before looking up at Shinjiro's calm face. "I… You…" she smiled, a feint pink blush crossing her cheekbones. "You don't need to wait anymore." She said, gripping the back of his uniform jacket with her small hands.

Shinjiro looked up at the ceiling, his heart in his throat. He held her tightly, not wanting to let her go. They stood in their embrace, savouring the moment, before they both realised that it was getting rather late. They parted awkwardly, both blossoming red faces. The senior chuckled, ruffling the junior's hair affectionately.

"I'm glad." He simply replied, unable to stop the wide grin spreading across his face. Before checking the clock, he quickly made sure they left the lounge and kitchen in a presentable state. He looked between the stairs and Hamuko, not wanting to leave her, but knowing they probably should get to sleep soon. "You've had a long day." He said, wandering towards the stairs. Hamuko nodded, her eyes slightly sad, and she followed him up.

They reached the landing of the first floor, and Shinjiro noted that the others had gone to bed. He turned to look at Hamuko, who had stopped before heading up the next flight of stairs. She was looking at him, her head slightly tilted. A smile played on her lips.

"Good night, Shinji." She said, before turning away and heading to her own room. He paused before replying, wanting to say something thoughtful, but decided against it.

"Night." He simply replied, before retiring to his own room.

* * *

For the first time in the week, Hamuko lay in bed with a heavy feeling in her chest which wasn't pain. Her mind played over the memory of their embrace, her skin tingling as it remembered the feeling of having his arms around her. His soft, caring touch, and the way he held her, contrasted severely to the harsh, violent touch of her teachers, and she felt comforted. It was different. It was nice. She didn't have to feel so scared anymore, it wasn't all bad. Shinjiro wouldn't hurt her. She grinned goofily, shoving her red face into her pillow. She wore his t-shirt again, and she rolled over onto her back, and pulled the neckline of it over her nose. '_It still smells l__ike him…_' she thought, her heart beating hard in her chest.

She looked over to her silent phone, hoping for it to chime. She was still trying to work out where this left her relationship with the upperclassman. They had both confessed their feelings for each other… '_Kind of…'_ she thought, furrowing her brow as she thought about it. She had realised before now that she wanted to be with him, and had tried to make sure she was ready to get involved in an intimate relationship, struggling after her ordeal from the other day.

Her phone vibrated against her desk, and she shot up. Scooping it up, she walked with it back over to her bed as she read the notification.

'_00:37am_

_1 text message from Shinji.'_

Her heart skipped as she opened the text, and read it slowly.

'_Want to go out tomorrow?'_

Her face went pink, and she fumbled about with her phone as she tried to type out a reply. She debated how to respond.

'_I'd really like that.'_

She read it out aloud to herself, wondering if it was too forward. She shook her head, hitting the send button. She waited, biting her lip in impatience.

Sat in his room with his phone held above his face, Shinjiro read her message. He closed his eyes, smiling to himself. She had come so far since the day she stumbled home in a complete mess, and was proud of how she had recovered. He was also extremely pleased with how she'd accepted his feelings, though he wasn't sure how it was going to affect their relationship. He sighed. '_As long as I can see her smile…_' he thought, grinning stupidly. He chided himself for being so sappy. He started to type out another text to Hamuko.

'_Hagakure good?'_

He asked, unsure of where else they could go. Part of him wanted to take her somewhere romantic, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. '_Maybe we can go to the shrine later…_' he thought, feeling his phone vibrate in his hands. He opened the new text from Hamuko, and smiled.

'_Sounds great!_

_Go to sleep. Night~'_

He chuckled at himself, dropping his phone onto the rug beside his bed, and turning over on his bed. Her texts had started to show her cute personality, shyness fading and a slight bossiness emerging. He chuckled. Despite vowing not to get involved in relationships, he felt oddly excited. Did he just ask her out on a date? He laughed quietly to himself, closing his eyes. '_It has been a long day…_' he thought, finally dropping off to sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note; **Thank you all for reading, and for the lovely reviews!

I hope I did this plot justice! Please leave me feedback and reviews that would be great!

Will take longer before the next update, please be patient.


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